Abnormality
by Oceanbreeze7
Summary: Challenge: Tony Stark was a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, and an Avengers. Ashton Carter was a student to Charles Xavier-he was a mutant. Twenty years ago, Tony walked out, and he never looked back. Sometimes, you don't have to turn around, when fate just throws something three inches infront of your face...just peachy. Warning- There's X-men in here...
1. Chapter 1

**Here's a story! YAY!**

**Anyways, this was a challenge, that has turned into a multi-chapter fic...enjoy.**

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Tony Stark made a Circuit Board at age four.

Logically, no child could _ever_ make something that complex work at that age, yet again, Tony Stark was not normal.

Tony built a Circuit Board, made an entire shell…and it just _worked._

Nobody questioned how it did, they just accepted the fact it did, and shrugged it off. Nobody asked questions, and nobody pointed fingers. Tony knew, a few years later when looking at the husk he had created.

This _shouldn't _work, it logically couldn't. The desired pieces weren't hooked up, or if they were, it was in the entirely wrong spot.

But it just _did._

So he didn't question it.

When Tony was 6, he built his first engine.

He built it right the first time. Quadruple checking everything to make sure that it would work, and he heard the engine purr aloud.

Then, while it was purring, he walked over and with full intentions, and disconnected the pistons.

The engine continued running.

Tony Stark knew that was impossible, and yet he hid it. He did _not_ want his father finding out, and even though his mother probably wouldn't care and love him still, it wasn't worth the risk.

So Tony kept it to himself.

In grade 6 (He was about 7 at the time) There was a power outage at the private school he had been sent to. His instructor raced out (apparently afraid of the dark) and left Tony alone, blinking away the darkness.

He didn't think it was that bad, being in the dark, but as he fumbled along the walls, searching for the door, his hands brushed over the light switch.

And suddenly the room was alit with light.

Tony frowned, looking at the working lights in the entire school, and blinked.

He wanted it dar-

The light went out.

Tony stared at the switch, pulling his hands away and flicking it up and down, not a single spark of light. Then he placed his hand on it again, and wanted it to be b- just as before, the bulb lit up and swathed the room in a cheery glow.

He blinked and pulled his hand back, instantly he felt as if he had gone running a mile, he felt tired and his legs shook and he wanted to just _slee-_

The light went out.

Tony leaned against a desk, panting in exhaustion and excitement. He could turn on and off lights? That was easy to do, but _without touching them?_

He grinned, reaching out with a shaking arm to the light.

It stayed off.

He frowned and a wave of dizziness overtook him, he sat quickly on a desk and blinked in the darkness.

He didn't try again for a long time.

He was at MIT when he _really_ tried using his 'gift' again.

He had long since researched what he was. A defect in his genetic code- an _X-gene._ A gene that had appeared from _birth-_ he was advancing beyond the normal human, he wasn't a _Homo sapien._

He felt odd at that discovery, wondering what exactly he was. He had concluded, that he was the next step in the genetic chain, that he was dominant over the other pe- Homo sapiens.

He didn't like that, so he hid it.

Tony knew he was different, he knew that he could turn a light switch on without touching it, or make an engine work without all the pieces.

But after a while, Tony actually _felt_ something.

It was like little butterflies everywhere. Moving so slightly and softly that whatever he touched he could just brush his fingers over them. He felt it with batteries, with plants and even with other people.

Never with rock, and never with air.

After a while, he grew used to the feeling, finding it comforting how computers gave out a swarm of little butterflies, and how little plants felt like a warm breath on his hand.

One day, when he was tired and working _so hard_ on a project for the following night, he had reached out for coffee in his tiredness. He had overshot, hand accidently touching the searing liquid, and he hissed, recoiling in alarm while he felt the burn.

And the little butterflies.

He blinked, feeling them in the little drops, and very slowly, they faded away on his fingers, and he looked at the cup, hesitantly dipping his pointer finger in and wincing at the burn before the butterflies seemed to flow into him.

He withdrew his finger, looking at the congealed icy coffee, and the sudden _rush_ of awareness he felt. He felt as if he had just _drunk _the thing.

Then, he tried with batteries.

It was the same effect, the absorption of…energy (How awful he felt to say it) gave him a boost, a simple 9 volt keeping him more aware then a 12 hour energy.

He kept getting bigger, eventually hooking himself up to a set of jumper cables connected to a car- it was enough of a jolt that he nearly passed out, but the moment after, he felt as if he could run a marathon.

It was when he tried to give energy _back_ when everything went downhill.

He tried lighting up a light bulb, and the light bulb shattered with the amount of power he thrust into it too quickly. He tried again, and this time he strained himself so hard, he actually passed out.

He woke up not long after, and instantly shied away from any strenuous task with his new found electric problem, and ignored the tingles, pushed past the butterflies and ignored the energy that could sustain him for so long.

It late into his year at MIT when his first major problem occurred.

In retrospect, it wasn't his fault. For a mech. Until each student had to create some sort of machine. Of course, Tony decided to work on his longtime project, a helper robot with a single long claw and an artificial intelligence that never seemed to match with its programmed IQ.

Tony named him Dummy.

Dummy, was perfect, rolling around with enthusiastic chirps as it looked at the other projects, taking keen interest in an automatic fire extinguisher (Who came up with that?) while Tony vanished momentarily to retrieve a bottle of water.

He knew something was wrong when he came back and heard Dummy's distressed beeps, thrashing with his one claw while several jealous classmates had pounced on him, taking screwdrivers and hammers to his prototype frame, one had a portable saw and was nearly cutting off Dummy's eye scope.

Tony didn't even notice what he did, one moment he was watching in horror as his only robotic friend was being attacked, and the next minute the saw had turned on itself, buzzing in frenzy and nearly slicing the student's leg. The kid yelped, yanking out the battery pack, but that didn't stop it. The saw turned, revving up as the lights started to flux, flashing on and off before metallic contraptions spun into effect, a fan powered by chemical reactions went into overdrive, a laser pointer became strong enough to burn wood.

Tony barely even noticed when one of the boys had a lighter in the back pocket of his blue jeans.

Tony snapped out of it when the fire alarms finally went off, spraying the room with raining white foam (Thank god he waterproofed Dummy) while the one boy was on the ground, screaming and crying as his friends tried to awkwardly pat the flames out in their panic.

Tony blinked, pulling away and running, barely having a grasp on the butterflies, breaking light bulbs and causing doors to swing open and close whenever he passed in his frantic running.

He locked himself in his room, eyes not looking at anything as he heard the load roar of the ambulance pull in- somebody was thinking clearly enough to call 911.

Or maybe it was the fire department, the sprinklers _did_ go off.

It was the next day when Tony managed to sneak back into the lab, Dummy was still working, a slight limp in one of his rollers where the boys and been tugging on one of his sensors- doing irreparable damage unless he wanted to take his first AI all the way down to his wheels and scrap nuts and bolts.

No- Dummy could stay the way he was.

The end of the term was in sights, and he was looking forward to it with every passing second. It seemed that with his recent…problem, that the butterflies seemed more hyperactive than ever before. Every moment he had to strain himself not to burst every light bulb when his hand touched the switch. He had to make sure every cell phone his hands brushed against wouldn't spontaneously break or stop him from draining the device until it took days of charging before turning back on.

And don't get Tony started with _plugs._

It had taken Tony a week of persistent asking of the principal to take the final exam early to gain his degree- he needed some time _alone_ before he'd get a handle on…his _mutant_ power.

Finally he took the test, nearly three months before the end of the year he got his degree, and walked out.

Tony had _no_ idea where to go- normally he'd go back home, but with his parents busy, he didn't want to be at that end of the insane shouting and drunken slurs- or worse, the cold look and the icy dismissal.

_That_, was the worst.

He grabbed his stuff, rolling a large black hard-shell suitcase down the stone steps as he approached his car, a slim little thing he had gotten from his mother after not seeing her for nearly four weeks, it wasn't that he minded, he never saw her anyways.

He approached, throwing open the trunk and loading the suitcase in just as another car pulled up, the butterflies being the only warning as it stopped right next to him.

He hesitated briefly before reaching down and loading a recently deactivated Dummy in the back, having him online while trying to drive may prove hazardous if anything.

Tony Stark wasn't a fool when it came to cars. He was actually very good at anything mechanical, lacking in the area of biology, but that's where knowing how metals and elements reacted with one another fit in better. He knew when he saw a car if it was a pricey one- and this one definitely was.

It was a beautiful Mazda, a bright shade of blue with white markings on the grills. A man, young at that, was driving it. He wore a set of red shades while the man next to him, looked humorously out of place.

He was bald, maybe a little younger than one should be for having a near reflective head, but the piercing eyes made up for that.

"Nice car." Tony nodded, not making a look to his (More impressive) silver Maybach.

The driver snorted, showing that he was barely older than Tony, maybe 20. (Tony was 17) But then why wouldn't the man be driving?

"Scott, leave us." The old man stated, the kid with the shades nodded, hopping over the edge of his car before trotting away, apparently on a walk.

Tony blinked staring at the old man who smiled from his seat.

"Hello, young Anthony. It's a pleasure to meet you." He nodded, closing the trunk before moving around the side towards his car door.

"My name is Charles Xavier. I run a school, for gifted students." Xavier stated and Tony froze.

Xavier. That was a name he had come across often in his research to find out…_what,_ he was. Xavier was the one who found the X-gene, the genetic categories and how the mutant gene affected each and every one…at age 20.

If Xavier was here, then that meant that he wanted Tony. Tony hadn't done anything to attract attention recently, so the only option as to _why_ said man would be here was if he was with the-

"I'm not with the government, nor am I here to discuss something about your father. I am here to talk to you, young Anthony, and to ask you if you would like to attend my school." Xavier stated, and Tony frowned, a slight smirk turning on his lips as he opened the door to his car.

"Sorry, but I just got my degree. I'm not looking into another-"

"No, no. You misunderstand me." Xavier stated with a slight smile as Tony frowned, looking over his shoulders.

"What is there to understand?" He asked with a snort, and Xavier locked eyes with Tony.

_"Everything."_

Tony recoiled sharply, hip colliding hard against the side of his car, breathing accelerated slightly as he stared at Xavier who blinked calmly.

"You- but what just-" Tony stumbled and Xavier let out a light laugh.

"Yes. I did, I am a telepath, I assume you understand what I mean, when I invite you to my school?" he asked, and Tony blinked in surprise, wheeling back slightly.

_'What? An entire school of mutants? How are there so man-'_

"There aren't at the moment. I intend to expand outwards once we meet more and invite them. You met Scott, he is my longest pupil. There is also Warren, who is away for the meantime, as well as Jean."

Xavier smiled while Tony hesitated, hand on his car door.

"…If I do go- not saying that I will." Tony started while Xavier smiled.

"I'll be able to leave at any time, right? I don't have to stay there for years or anything." Tony asked.

"Of course not. Students are free to leave at any point of time- unless you feel that you'd prefer not going at all." Xavier added, knowing full well what Tony's choice would be.

_'Damn Mind Reader.'_ He mentally grumbled, frowning as Xavier chuckled.

"…Give me a moment." Tony nodded, drawing out his phone and ignoring the butterfly feeling s as he moved to the opposite side of the car, dialing a familiar number and waiting.

_"…Hello?"_

"Obbie- hey is dad around?" Tony asked, looking around the outdoor complex as he listened.

_"No, the big man's gone to a board meeting, why? Did you get in trouble at MIT?" _Obbie asked on the other end and Tony bit his lip.

Either he could wait and tell his dad later, or he could ask Obbie…Obbie wouldn't have too big of an opinion change, right?

"Hey- can… can I ask you a question?" Tony asked, his voice oddly quiet and out of character, Obadiah was instantly on alert.

_"What is it? What happened Tony?"_

"It's just-" Tony winced, he shouldn't use himself as an example, "There was a kid in one of my classes. He- he turned out to be a mutant, and-"

_"A mutant? You're okay, right? Give me the name of that kid- I'll expel him! What was the school thinking, enrolling a thing like that!"_

Tony flinched, asking quietly. "What's wrong with a mutant?"

_"What's wrong? What's WRONG? They're freaks Tony! They aren't normal- they shouldn't exist!"_

"So you're saying they should just be dead?" Tony asked quietly, and Obadiah sighed on the other side.

_"Just…distance yourself, okay? I'm scanning that school, if I see a single thing that gives away that mutant, he's gone. Got it Tony?"_

"It doesn't matter- took my exams early. I'm going with a few friends for a while, okay?" Tony asked, looking back at the car which had Xavier, the driver still hadn't returned yet.

_"A few friends? Sure, keep your phone on you in case you need to call us or something. See ya' Tony."_

"you too, Obbie." Tony mumbled, hanging up with click while he breathed, staring at the phone with his hands trembling ever so slightly.

He wouldn't tell anyone. Ever.

"I'm not going by the name Tony Stark." Tony deadpanned the moment he returned to Xavier who lifted an eyebrow as he probably skimmed Tony's thoughts.

"It is normal for students to take a nickname when they develop their mutant abilities." Xavier added and Tony shrugged.

"Whatever- call me…Ashton, Tony can be short for it, and my last name…" Tony frowned- it wasn't often you had to change your entire existence.

"Carter. You seem rather fond of Mrs. Carter." Xavier added and Tony sent him a dry look.

"Keep your head out of my thoughts, and I won't mess with your stuff." Tony sniffed while the other man smiled, pupils narrowing a second before Tony turned, the driver from before walking towards Tony, red glasses still in place.

"Scott, this is Ashton Carter."

"Call me Tony." Tony winced- he was _so_ going to forget his name.

x-(X)-x

Xavier was helpful, surprisingly. Tony expected him to be in the dark with his, apparently, energy conversion mutation.

"Try and light it up." Scott offered, sitting in one of the many bunkers under the building, most of the mutants practiced dangerous or odd mutations down there to minimize harm or damage to the rest of the building, or population.

"I can't hold it long if I'm not connected to its circuit." Tony stressed, but Scott scoffed, rolling his eyes behind the shades and pointed up at the light with an expectant face.

"Fine- fine." Tony rolled his eyes, taking a deep breath and looking at the light.

He could feel the faint butterflies, ever so slightly tickling his mental walls, and he tugged, trying to get them closer. He managed to brush one, just enough that the bulb lit up momentarily before Tony gasped, leaning against his legs in a pant.

"I can't- I can't reach it." Tony gasped and Scott frowned, looking at the single light that was off.

"Is it too far away?" Scott asked with a frown, and Tony shoot his head finally gaining his breath back.

"No it's- it's not _connected_. I run on connections, points and a long path to get to one thing. Air…Gasses aren't the best conductor." Tony groaned, flopping onto his back and stretching out.

"…You're on the ground, aren't you?" Scott asked, Tony flashing his eyes open as he froze, seeing Scotts grin.

Tony had always been reaching for wires, circuits and electric means to activate things he wanted to…Could he use _anything?_

"Give it a shot." Scott nodded to the light, and Tony locked his jaw.

The butterflies were just out of reach again, but maybe…closer? Tony pressed further, and grasped them, tugging them back to him through the stone and along the walls- making a complete feed loop with him as the battery source.

The light flickered, turning on and staying bright as Tony stared, gently feeding the light, enough to keep it bright, but not too much to break it.

Scott looked at him and gave him a nod.

Tony couldn't help but laugh.

Jean was nice- she was still learning to control her telepathic and telekinesis power.

Amazingly enough- Tony _felt_ intrusions.

It was like static, unlike the original comforting buzzing and fluttering feeling of butterflies, this was more like a disrupted current, which was actually what it was. (He thought) He could _feel_ the intrusions,

He had looked into it (Dummy being surprisingly good at searching the web) and he found a conclusion, Psionic Energy.

It was the energy and ability to use mental energy, the mental version of his talent. This caused him to be slightly more intrusive on the web, seeing if he was the only one who could…absorb energy.

"I met a man, a long time ago, who could absorb kinetic energy, just as you." Professor Xavier stated, rolling out on his wheelchair, causing Tony to spin in alarm from where he sat on the couch, nearest the small TV (He was going to buy a better one).

"What?" Tony asked in alarm, blinking in surprise as Professor X smiled instead.

"His name was Shaw. He could absorb Kinetic Energy, and manipulate it to increase his Strength, Stamina, and Speed." Tony smiled- if he could do that…

No, he didn't want that, he enjoyed working with machines, and that was good enough for him.

"What happened to him?" Tony asked quietly, and Professor X sighed.

"He meddled with the affairs and childhood of one of my old friends. He did not survive when they confronted." He spoke quietly, and Tony didn't press the issue.

"What is more important to know, is that your body can only hold so much energy, if you exceed that limit, you may fall into a coma, or even result in death. Do you understand, Anthony?" Professor Xavier stated, completely serious- the use of his full name was something in itself. He hadn't been called Anthony by anyone since he arrived here, four months ago.

"Yes Sir." Tony nodded, and Xavier smiled, nodding before returning to his room, presumably to work.

Tony had Dummy look up anything on said man- a mutant called _'Shaw'_

When nothing showed up, in Tony's desperation, he tried doing something he had never done before.

"Okay Dummy- hook up those sensors, and tell me if they're trying to get back in." Tony nodded towards the two laptops on his right, and the robot wheeled over, watching the screens intently.

Tony cracks his fingers, taking a deep breath as he began to type on the computer in front of him, he was going to hack.

He was going to Hack into the Government.

He had asked on the first day if he could have the room the furthest away, Xavier understood that he didn't want to be recognized by any visitors, so he obliged.

That and the 20 year old Redhead known as Jean would probably kill him if she found out.

"Okay, first firewall is down." Tony muttered, his robot twisting his head as he watched the screens that documented his trail, sending it to several different countries before eventually to a satellite.

Tony frowned at the new firewall, typing in a code that _should_ create a doorway through, and slipped past with ease and a released breath.

"Okay, we're in…Shaw….Shaw- check under the mutant registration…and….There. Sebastian Shaw, deceased. Killed by….Magneto? Professor X was friends with _Magneto?_" Tony blinked, recoiling as he shook his head, noticing the date and snorting.

"Okay, that was a while ago- wow…Okay, Government used team of mutants to counteract the 'Hellfire Club?' Okay, _Evil Mutants,_ and leader of the group was…Charles Xavi-" Tony bit his lip not to laugh; Professor X had _hair,_ brown hair and was documented with several other mutants, real names and codenames.

Dummy snapped his claw in alarm as Tony was halfway through reading someone named 'Banshee's' profile before snapping his head and looking- someone was on his trail, and gaining _fast._

"Crap- reroute it to Mexico, then send it to all the countries in the Middle East." Tony fire off, quickly trying to alter his path and remove the gateways used to sneak into the fire.

Dummy clicked again, and the tracer was _right on him._

"There's got to be more than one of them on me." Tony cursed, and in a desperate attempt, pressed his fingers into the keys roughly.

He felt the butterflies, and just as he was about to shut down the com, he felt something…Not bad, but not warm. Like a warm draft of air that wasn't really needed.

"Dummy…I think I'm in the internet." Tony spoke low, tracing the warm draft before feeling the tingle, and grabbing it roughly, making sure not a single bug escaped as the draft seemed to break, splitting and vanishing suddenly as he left no power on the other side.

He turned, looking at the computer and sighed with relief- they were off his trail.

"Thanks bud." Tony grinned, high five-ing the robot.

Xavier wasn't happy when he found out. Rather upset with how Tony went behind his back (Tony didn't know that he was disobeying anything.) to find out about Shawn.

Professor X never shouted at him, and that was better than his own father.

Exactly 1 year after joining Professor X, more students finally showed up.

There was a lady named Ororo, blonde hair and dark skin. She was their one day, just long enough for Tony to take one _look_, and feel butterflies fluttering around her to a degree, that if he took all her energy, he'd never have to sleep for _years._

He distanced himself, and they never met afterwards.

Scott was busier with Xavier, working with the Cerebro thing. (Some sort of device that made it so Xavier could find all of the mutants, or something like that.) And that Warren guy was gone again. Tony hadn't even seen the supposed wings he apparently had.

Jean was nice, she was growing on him ever so slightly, as an older sister. She wasn't that much older, she was 22 and he was (now) 18. Only a 4 year gap.

What was worse was in that year, he never got a single call from his parents.

Dummy had been upgraded to a finer degree, the AI perfected until Dummy actually gained a personality of his own (Albeit odd one). Tony didn't want the other students or visitors to see him, so Dummy entertained himself staying locked up in Tony's room, full of odd inventions or insane ideas he had thought up.

What the others didn't like, were the weapon plans.

Tony knew that one day; he'd have to take over the business. (Xavier knew at least. To everybody else, he was little Ashton Carter. A taciturn little guy who hid in the corner). He was designing missiles already, fixing weapons and faxing them over to Obadiah, who didn't care how he was, as long as they got the plans.

For Christmas, Tony upgraded Xavier's wheelchair into one that could run on its own, and didn't require hand pushing. For Scott, he had fixed those red sunglasses into a sort of sideways visor, a dial on the side so he could use his laser vision whenever he'd please to.

For Jean (Who didn't have another name) he got her a necklace. Gold, studded with large rubies in a clump in the centre. She didn't outright love it, but she didn't deny it. She had been suspecting his illegal activates, (She had found one of his computers partially hacked into the CIA after he made an automatic system to hack in on its own)

For Warren, he got a silly little angel statue, just a gag gift since he never actually saw the guy.

Ororo…she was different. Tony didn't have a _clue _as for what to give her. So instead, he passed her an _IOU_ card, and just gave a small grin for her confused look, mouthing '_I'll give you a great gift later'_

She rolled her eyes and vanished, not overly caring or paying attention to him.

Two years after him joining, he got a call on his cell. The first call in a long time.

It was his parent's private doctor team, stating that they had….that they had passed away in a car accident.

Tony left that night.

The others went out looking. However, they went looking for '_Ashton Carter.'_ Not Tony Stark, who was currently living it large on some odd resort in the middle of Cuba.

He had traveled, taking Dummy and storing him at his dad- _his_ house until further notice.

Nearly a two years after his parent's death, two years since he left the school, he stopped by.

He was surprised by the insane amount of students that had apparently appeared out of the blue from his disappearance. Nearly two to a room where he used to have one all to himself. Classes were now taught on a schedule, teachers set up for each person.

Tony walked in, looking completely different with a Goatee (Of all things) and a mustache that changed his entire face.

"Can I help you?" Jean asked, noticing him standing in the doorway, but not completely recognizing him at first.

"Yes, I wish to speak with Charles Xavier." Tony nodded and Jean vanished, red hair flying behind her as she moved on, some eight year olds rushing past her to get to a history lesson.

Times had definitely changed.

Charles recognized him at once, (Or maybe his mind) and he offered to go for a walk around the perimeter, and Tony followed, not one to say no to such an act of kindness, and privacy.

"Anthony, how have your travels suited you?" Charles asked, striking up a conversation.

"Well. India's rather nice this time of year." Tony noted and Xavier chuckled ever so slightly.

They walked in silence, after a while, Xavier striking up a conversation again.

"I assume you returned for a reason? Not just for a pleasant visit. Hopefully, your abilities have not been acting up." Xavier smiled, and Tony sighed with a grim smile.

'No…I'm here to say goodbye. I'm taking control of Stark Industries in a few days, and probably won't be seeing you again for a _long_ time, if I ever do." Tony sighed, and Xavier sighed.

"It seems this must be. Very well, I wish you well, Anthony. Perhaps, we _shall_ meet again." Xavier smiled, and Tony did also, hesitating ever so slightly.

"Hey- _how_ do you get mutants from faraway places?" Tony asked, already schematics forming in his head.

"Really, it's not necessary." Xavier quickly added, seeing what Tony was thinking of.

"No- its fine. Least I can do to repay you all. Besides, all cool schools need a private jet- what about the name _'Blackbird'?"_

Xavier made a sound of protest Tony completely ignored.

"Eh, doesn't really matter because I'm building it anyways. " Tony shrugged and stood turning while Xavier rotated, calling one last thing.

"If you ever wish for _anything,_ I am always willing to listen." Xavier stated. And Tony hesitated, not sure on what to do.

"True, but I don't think I'll be willing to talk."

Then, Tony Stark walked out of Greymalkin Lane.

He jumped into a car he had, had for a long time, _his_ Maybach, and drove away.

He didn't look back.

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**There! Hope you like it. I did alot of reaserch to find the ages and everything. If you think they're wrong, take it up with Marvel, not me.**

**Review!**

**~Oceanbreeze7**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, next chap.**

**First, i'm going to warn you, that i'm probably going to be out of character later on. PLEASE tell me who i'm doing wrong, and how to fix it...just saying.**

**Thanks!**

**~Oceanbreeze7**

* * *

Tony Stark never used his powers, he never even _thought_ about using them. By any outsider's point of view, it would seem that he would be exactly as the tabloids described.

He only thing that betrayed his ability, was the large cash sum he managed to slip into Xavier's School for the Gifted. If Obadiah ever noticed, he never said anything.

Every month, ten thousand found its way into his account. Although he never got a letter or even the slightest hint of contact from Xavier, he knew that the older man knew it was from him.

A few months later, life was normal (As normal as it could be for Tony) and it went on.

Five years later, Tony had built a strong reputation for himself, one that he prided himself on. He was a Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, and Philanthropist. Nobody ever knew he was a mutant- he never told anyone he was a mutant.

A few of his robots knew, Dummy, who was his main robot was his first. He later made a few others, affectionately naming them You, and Butterfingers. It was only a few years after his final tweaking of the hyper energetic You, and the mature Butterfingers' did he finally start to make his biggest project yet.

A year after he first started typing rows of code, Jarvis was born. A complete AI with access to the web, every file Tony had ever looked at, and all of his houses.

Just for kicks, he threw in a little British accent.

Jarvis, of course had full access to Tony's documentation of his powers, it was smart to have the full extent written down, as Jarvis kept alerting him of power fluctuations when he _really_ didn't want to sleep.

A few years after Jarvis' creation and final completion, Afghanistan happened.

Sitting in the cave, twitching in agony as he was hooked up to a _car battery, _(Oh the irony, every battery he ever drained was laughing at him) and occasionally being electrocuted, not able to absorb the energy in fear of draining it dry did he fully regret his actions before.

True, Tony felt a bit cliché being trapped in a cave all alone as he looked back on his life. He saw the weapons he built, and he wasn't happy.

More specifically, mutant weapons.

He felt sick, making weapons biased on electricity to provide so much _hurt_ for a mutant, (A cattle prod without the cattle) not to mention a mutant who wasn't able to defend his or her self. At least with Tony, if he had fair warning, could protect him and absorb the blast entirely.

Other mutants…not so much.

He sat in the cave, working with Yinsen (Oh Yinsen,_ poor poor Yinsen)_to create an Arc Reactor,_ a battery._ He plugged it in, and suddenly, everything he learned _was a lie._

He didn't have a _limit,_ a fixed amount of power he could take in, because he had a _battery_ in him, store and take like a carry size ATM, except this one was fixed in his chest and hurt worse than anything he had ever experienced.

Yinsen somehow topped the cake, causing a new wave of pain and guilt that caused Tony to want to curl up in a little ball like a child.

_"You got a family?"_

_"Yes, and I will see them when I leave here. And you, Stark?"_

_Did he? Did he have a family? Was Rhodey and Pepper his family? Obadiah part of his select little group?_

_Xavier? Scott? What about them? Were they included now, ever?_

_"…No."_

_"So you're a man who has everything, but nothing."_

When he stood on a loading block, watching Yinsen take a gun and run out into the fray, shooting the roof because _he was too honorable to take a life,_ Tony panicked. He honestly panicked and did something he hadn't done in a long,_ long_ time.

He forced the creaky stone cold joints to move, flowing a current that made movement logically impossible as he moved, seeing men and drawing power from the flame in the corner.

The room was shrouded in darkness as he took fight, storming and attacking as he frantically searched and searched.

_"Don't waste it…Don't waste your life, Stark."_

And Tony tried, burning all of those terrorists to a crunchy crisp that resembled the coating on a French fry before taking to the air, propelling upwards by drawing power from the little battery in his heart. (Logically, he shouldn't have even been able to take flight)

And he walked, stumbling in pain as sand rubbed his feet raw, sun _burning_ his back as he stumbled on.

When Rhodey found him, he wanted to cry. He wanted to curl up on himself and sob, and throw himself at Rhodey's feet and beg for forgiveness. He wanted to hear Xavier's chuckle in his head, and see Scotts grin as he did something stupid again.

Xavier had been nearly nine years ago. Tony was 30.

When Obadiah betrayed him, Tony felt sorrow and an empty hollow wound open in his chest again. Somehow, Tony never had trusted Obadiah, since the other had expressed his hate for Tony (Well, for mutants, but technically, that _was_ Tony.)

There should have been no way he lived after getting the brunt of the Arc Reactor explosion. No normal person could have lived through that, Obadiah being an example.

His mutation was the only reason, having absorbed just enough of the unstable energy to keep the Reactor alive just long enough for he to build another. Already, two should-be deaths. Then, he realized. If his mutation _saved_ him, what _else could it do?_

He trained. He trained until he could connect everything to _anything_ through bonds, solids and airs, wires and circuitry were no longer borders on his energy understanding.

He trained, and he stored energy, the energy he felt from the sun, the friction of brushing a hand over a table, even the energy of punching a wall.

Tony Stark felt strong, mentally and physically. Eventually, his energy started to _burn,_ seeping into him before he recoiled and hissed at any contact with the butterfly kisses.

He was always unlucky, and yet lucky in the oddest ways, when he found out he was getting Palladium poisoning, he really shouldn't have been surprised.

It if attacked his brain, he could fix it. If it attacked his nervous system, or even his spinal cord, but sending energy only advanced it, caused it to spread faster. Drawing energy away would kill him.

So Tony grinned, waved at the cameras and sucked up the back that he'd die by May, maybe in late April, just after his birthday.

He changed everything, eluding the odd Mrs. Natalie Rushman all the while changing _everything._

He changed his money; swapping stocks to those he knew wouldn't plummet after his death, although he knew that Pepper was annoyed by putting trust in such cheep companies.

Tony tried to tell her, honest. But he couldn't, he _couldn't._

He tried to tell Rhodey, but he wouldn't listen.

He even felt a small desperate nudge in his heart that had him wondering if stopping for an old, _old_ visit would be worthwhile. He wouldn't even have to say anything.

In the end, he voted against it, deciding that he could just donate a large portion of his money to said school, his death wouldn't be missed _that_ much.

Tony Stark created a new element, one that not only stored energy more efficiently then Palladium ever did, but was able to help _produce_ energy.

Tony Stark wasn't a battery any longer- he was a _solar panel._

He fought off Ivan Vanko…again, and by this time, Tony was probably the only one on Earth who could turn and look at Death in the eye, laugh and invite her to coffee.

He met frozen G.I. Joe's, an odd green skin and everything-else condition, two assassins (One of which was his previous secretary) and two demi-gods. He was struck by lightning by a demi-god (In all actuality, electricity was probably one of the best feelings he had had for a long time) and was able to hold his own.

He might have invited Death out to coffee, but somehow offering a (mildly) insane Norse God with daddy issues for a round of gin was more like keeping Death out past her curfew on Prom Night.

By the time he lived being thrown out a window, being struck by lightning, _and_ going into space, Tony finally decided he was worthy enough of having a mutant name.

Thus Achilles was born. Why such a name? Simple.

He couldn't die…ever, except for _one_ spot that happened to glow in the dark.

It was just his luck that he was offered the position on the team- who was he to deny such an offer? Besides, if he didn't accept, SHIELD would continue pumping his guts for anything they could find, attacking Jarvis until said machine would eventually shut down SHIELD like swatting a pesky mosquito.

Besides, compared to Jarvis, SHIELD _was_ a mosquito.

And that was Tony's life up to that day.

It was odd for him to actually say he enjoyed it when he awoke every morning (or surfaced from 'The Pit' as Clint called it) to see Steve using his kitchen, Thor mauling a few poor pop tarts while Bruce watched with a cup of tea, Clint and Natasha in the corner, heads craned over a local newspaper as they tried to play the crossword.

It was an odd little thing that defined them as a family, as a _team._

They had their quirks, their tiny habits that everyone knew (Steve ran everyday at 6 in the morning; Clint had some sort of fetish with labeling his left and right socks).

Tony was known for his insane fits if genius, retreating into 'The Pit' to create whatever was on his mind, and not surfacing for days, in only which Clint would crawl in the vents and constantly hiss to him _'My precioussss!'_ much to Thor's confusion.

Tony was also known, for his bold outright toddler personality when he didn't get his way.

"But _whyyy?"_ Tony whined, sitting at the meeting desk on the Helicarrier while Fury groaned, head in hands as Steve sighed, looking away.

"Listen Stark. It is required, the attacks have been getting more and more out of hand-"

"Then get them to deal with it!" Tony added, causing Steve to frown.

"Tony, it's our job to help others." Steve sighed, and Tony shifted.

"Well not _them._ Leave the mutant problems to the _mutants!"_ Tony hissed lowly, and at once he said it, he had to swallow away the guilt. He was a mutant, but he couldn't let them know. In their eyes, he was against mutants.

"Wait- you're saying that mutant's _aren't _humans?" Clint asked eyebrows shooting to his hairline as Tony gave a confident shrug, ignoring his emotional turmoil.

"They're genetic freaks." He stated, summing up his thoughts while Thor frowned.

"I do not understand. These…mortals are different, are we also, different?" Thor asked with a frowned and Tony winced trying to come up with an excuse.

"You know, Tony, by definition I'm a mutant." Bruce pointed out while Tony opened his mouth to retort.

"But you were never _born_-"'like_ me. You were never born with a power, and never had to learn to control it.'_

"Honestly Stark, you are the most _hypocritical_ human I have ever met." Natasha scoffed, and for a moment, Tony felt as if the Reactor stopped working.

_'How did she find ou-'_

"You're friends with a Demi-god, two assassins, a…mutant, if you call yourself that, Bruce. Captain America and you're shunning away the ideas of genetically evolved people?"

When she phrased it like that…

"I don't _care_ what you think Stark. Professor Xavier and I already agreed on a time. They'll be arriving tomorrow." Fury stated, and Tony's jaw dropped and shifted.

"…And you're telling us that _now?"_

"They've known about it for nearly two weeks." Fury stated dryly, and Tony blinked, looking at the others, who didn't really care.

"…You're mean."

"I try my best." Fury shot back, rising as Thor sent a mighty grin to Steve.

"Wonderful! I look forward to exchanging tales with these new comrades!" Thor boomed loudly, causing Tony to rub his head at the oncoming headache.

"Which of these X-men will be arriving?" Natasha asked, and Fury tapped on the table, holograms projecting up onto the table while Tony scoffed at the poor quality of them.

"Charles Xavier will be our main objective. We have spoken before, and are on good terms-"Fury stated, eyes pointedly looking at Tony "And I expect them to remain as well when they leave."

Tony managed to transform his face into a look of offence while inside he was frozen with shock.

Xavier looked like that? That…old? How old would he be now, since Tony had left so long ago…

"Xavier is 54 years old, and the strongest Telepath on the planet-"

"Telepath, sir?" Steve blinked, and Fury rolled his eyes, looking at Clint whose jaw was slightly tense.

"Means he can read your mind." He stated tersely, and Steve blinked in surprise.

"He contacted me, stating that he would be comfortable if he would be allowed to bring a few of his schools…teachers, in some sense." Fury stated, while Thor lifted an eyebrow.

"He's bringing the X-men, isn't he?" Natasha asked dryly, and Fury rolled his eyes, waving the hologram aside to show a frozen action picture of the X-men in battle.

"He is bringing along with him, Storm, Cyclops, Rogue, Iceman, Shadow…Cat, Jean, and a partial agreement to the mutant known as Wolverine." Fury winced slightly at the last name, causing a lifted eyebrow from Steve.

"Sir, who is this 'Wolverine' fellow?" Steve asked.

"And who the heck is 'Shadowcat?' Who came up with _that _name?" Tony snorted, rolling his eyes. _'Yeah, because Achilles is so much better…'_

"Mutants have free claim to their own names, Stark." Natasha sighed while Fury pressed his fingers into his temples.

"I have…observed, Wolverine on several occasions-"

"He stood you up?" Tony snorted, and Fury glared, pointing at the door.

"Out."

"But Nickie, I though you wanted my-"

"Now, Stark."

Tony pouted, bottom lip jutting out as he walked off, smoothly making his way down the hallway, trying to keep his composure together until he had a metal mask over his face.

_'The X-men? Cyclops? That's the only name I can imagine Scott having the arrogance to take. Never thought he'd take my suggestion. Storm? Ororo, that has to be her. Good to hear Jean never took a name…"_

"Stark!" Tony turned, blinking and flashing a grin at Clint who snorted at the look.

"We're staying on the Helicarrier; leave if you want, but the X-men are arriving earlier then you'd care to show up at." Clint rolled his eyes while Tony managed to look insulted.

"Ouch, that hits me right in my Reactor. How are the little mutants getting up here, anyways?" Tony asked and Clint shrugged.

"Fury said something about a 'Blackbird'. Never heard of that type of jet or plane though. See you." Clint nodded, turning to walk the opposite direction of where Tony's suit was.

_'Blackbird? Huh, never thought that my little ship would survive all these years…nice to meet you Xavier, nice to meet you all…'_

x-(X)-x

"Would you sit down already?" Logan growled, buckled in his seat while he watched with one eye opened as the younger brown haired girl moved from one side of the jet to the other.

"Sit? But _why?_ We're going to the Helicarrier! We're going to see the _Avengers." _The other girl practically sighed, and another girl, near the same age sighed.

"Really Kitty? You see them on TV; it's not that big of an event." Rogue rolled her eyes and Kitty blinked in surprise.

"What? Hello! Iron Man! Captain America? How can you _not_ get excited?" She gushed.

"Trust me kid, Gov. is _nothing _to be excited for." Logan near growled while Jean in the front twitched her lips as Ororo laughed quietly in the front.

"Oh, on the contraire, Logan. I think you'll find the Helicarrier interesting." Xavier mentioned, smiling as Scott looked at him with interest.

"Oh?" Bobby asked, looking across while Xavier smiled.

"Indeed. Director Fury has an interesting way of getting information across, very similar to your style, Logan." Xavier nodded.

"Style? What style, you mean shouting and threatening with every other word?" Rogue laughed quietly while Kitty followed with low giggles.

"Come on girls, leave him alone. We're making contact- the base _should _be right around here." Ororo frowned, looking all over.

"I can hear people." Jean stated, looking at Xavier who nodded, and pressed one finger to his temple.

After a few seconds of silence, he gave a slight nod, and much to the occupants of the Blackbird, an entire base seemed to magically appear in the sky, men on the runway signaling them with bright neon orange flags.

"Great, I can already smell government lackeys." Logan snorted under his breath, crossing his arms in annoyance as Ororo maneuvered the jet carefully, landing gently on the available surface as men rushed out, further anchoring it to the moving platform.

"Come along then. No reason to keep them waiting." Xavier nodded, Scott moving behind to push the wheelchair although Xavier could use it himself- it was always easier when someone else moved him through narrow doorways.

As they exited the belly of the Blackbird, already they could see a thin row of SHIELD agents lining their way to the door, in which quite a few obvious people were walking out towards them.

"Oh my god- that's _Thor._ And it's Captain America- oh my god, _The Black Widow-"_

"Shut _up_ Kitty." Someone, Rogue, Logan assumed, hissed while most of the Avengers approached, with a dark skinned man between them.

"X-men, Charles, a pleasure to see you again." Fury nodded while Xavier gave a slight smile in response.

"Of course, Director Fury. May we take this conversation inside?" Xavier asked, and Fury nodded, turning while the Black Widow flanked him, her keeping an eye on the large group of Mutants behind.

Logan noticed this, and said nothing as they were escorted into a large room filled with a large assortment of screens, the main bridge room of the flying base was separated with soundproof glass in which they ignored, making their way to the many chairs around a long table.

They awkwardly shifted, sitting around the table while the black leather uniforms squeaked quietly as they sat, awaiting while on the other side, the three from before sat, another male, muscular and in SHIELD uniform walked in, taking a seat next to the Black Widow.

"That's Hawkeye." Kitty hissed quietly into Rogue's ear, who rolled her eyes while Bobby smiled slightly, amused by Kitty's obsession while Jean smiled politely to each of the four.

"My apologize, two of my teammates are not here-" Captain America stated, head flying to the door as another man with disheveled hair shuffled in, smiling awkwardly as he took a seat next to Thor, who beamed at the man's arrival.

"Sorry about that- I called Tony, he said he's on his way." The new arrival spoke, and Captain America spoke.

"It is of no worries." Xavier nodded while Steve smiled, seeming relieved.

"I believe introductions are in order." Fury stated, nodding to his team while Thor stuck his hand out energetically.

"Greetings Midgardians! I am Thor, Son of Odin Allfather. It is an honor to meet warriors of your rank!" He grinned, all teeth shining brightly, and Kitty felt lightheaded as Rogue pushed her forward to shake hands with the Demi-god.

Logan snickered quietly as Kitty leaned heavily back on her chair, looking dazed.

"Natasha Romanoff, The Black Widow, and this is Clint, Hawkeye." She introduced, giving a nod in which Scott returned sharply.

"Steve Rogers, a Pleasure." Steve nodded, exchanging smiles with Jean.

"I'm Bruce Banner, the Other Guy says high as well." Bruce offered with a small smile, Logan frowning before Jean gave a slight breathless gasp, giving an alarmed look to Xavier, who ignored it pointedly.

"Of course. We return the greetings. I am Charles Xavier. And these are my students. Scott, also known as Cyclops." Charles nodded, the man with the ruby red glasses nodding while Natasha returned it.

"Jean Grey." A smile and Steve smiled back, the same exchange as before.

"Ororo, or Storm." Ororo nodded, smiling faintly to Steve who gave a nod back.

"I'm Rogue, this is Kitty, also known as Shadowcat, and this is Bobby, also known as Iceman." Rogue nodded, brushing one of her white bangs back behind her ear as she met eyes evenly with Natasha, not backing down as she swallowed thickly.

"Logan." Logan grunted, matching eyes with Natasha as he leaned slightly over Rogue, Natasha averting her eyes when she recognized the look of parental protection.

Xavier tensed for a moment before he smiled slightly, looking at Fury calmly.

"I believe I have located your missing team member." He stated calmly, just a second before the double doors were thrown open.

Kitty squeaked in surprise, Logan flinching and pulling up a hand, knuckles tensed as ready to eject the long blades in a second. Jean gasped, looking to the wall as Natasha snapped her head around, tensed and ready.

Tony strode in, black sunglasses matching with his normal casual suit as he strode in, collapsing in the waiting seat of his.

"Sorry I'm late, Nicky." Tony drawled, rolling his neck to look at Fury who glared.

He smirked, faintly hearing some girl squeal quietly _'Iron Man!'_

"You were supposed to be here an hour ago, Stark." Steve growled and Tony rolled his eyes.

"Cool yourself, Capsicle. Anyways, Professor X and I have…met, before." Tony blinked, and a small slow blink from Xavier was his only reply.

"You have?" Fury stated, a slight mix of disbelief and anger in his tone as Tony shrugged.

"Of course, had to ask him about his papers on genetic mutations. I must say, they make _much_ more sense now that I know you're a telepath." Tony drawled, and Jean frowned.

Jean probed slightly, she could feel the others mental walls like a light soap bubble, able to be entered and left with slight resistance.

With Tony Stark, it was similar to an electric fence, a single touch and she flinched slightly, feeling as if she had just been electrocuted. Scott noticed, and shot her a worried look, in which she shrugged off.

"I'd assume so, Mr. Stark. A pleasure to meet you." Xavier smiled, and Tony sent one back, slightly strained if anything.

"Yeah, nice to see you again."

* * *

**There! The next chapter! **

**If any of you are confused with Tony's Power, PM me and i'll try to explain it further.**

**Review!**

**~Oceanbreeze7**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, next chap.**

**First, i'm going to warn you, that i'm probably going to be out of character later on. PLEASE tell me who i'm doing wrong, and how to fix it...just saying.**

**Thanks!**

**~Oceanbreeze7**

**_Double thanks to my surprisingly not-a-hassle Beta; Rebarbative_  
**

**__Sorry about something- i left out the very beginning and only now have had time to change it- Sorry!**

* * *

Tony sat on a stool in the personal lab, SHIELD had so willingly (not) supplied. Tinkering on one of his gauntlets that had been having a short relay, not firing until a few seconds after the command.

_"May I come in?"_

Tony jumped, cursing as his pinky finger was wedged painfully in the red and gold plates, cursing and sticking the pulsing finger in his mouth as he waved at the door, Jarvis, (having hacked in the system) open the glass door.

He didn't look as he felt the slight butterfly tingles on his mind, ignoring the rest of intense jungle of tickling wings he had learned to recognize as the Helicarrier as a whole.

"…Hello, Anthony." He heard a voice state aloud, although the speaker had said the same words not even three hours previously.

The door clicked with a small hiss, causing the sound proof glass to click into place,

While Tony continued tinkering.

"Hey, Professor. School keeping you busy?" Tony asked, leaning against the table as he set the gauntlet down, swinging around to face the much elder man.

"You could say that. There are hundreds of new mutants at my school, learning to master their powers as well as classes required for the natural world." Xavier smiled, and Tony shrugged.

"Hey, have any smart ones and I'll offer them a job in R&N." Tony shrugged while Xavier said nothing, waiting.

"…Thank you, Anthony. I know you have been making generous donations to my schools account. Your donations have been going to a good cause."

"True- I was there, remember?" Tony kidded, swallowing while fiddling with the gauntlet again.

"Jean alerted me of an odd 'electrical field' surrounding your subconscious." Xavier mused, butterflies tickling as he inched forward on his wheelchair.

"Yeah, well." Tony swallowed thickly, hand twitching, "Turns out Telepaths use electric fields to read minds. If you just send a little extra energy to the field, then you make a shock fence around your mind- some telepaths aren't as nice as you, X." Tony shrugged, while Xavier's eyes widened.

"You are able to use your gift to enable the proficiency of a telepath's attack?" Xavier asked, eyebrows rising in surprise while Tony gave a small dry grin.

Xavier winced, hand flashing to his temple as he felt as if he had been tasered, he recoiled, darting away from Tony's subconscious as the electric field seemed to crackle around his mind.

"I've learned a lot of things about my mutation. A few things have become clearer, and others I've stopped looking for the answer to." Tony shrugged, and Xavier gave a small smile, not daring to try and probe again.

"Oh?" He asked, and Tony gave a small smile, looking at his blueprints.

"You have _no_ idea- after leaving your school, I made holograms that would work in the same way as my powers. Amazing, how people take your ideas for granite when they don't understand." Tony shrugged, holding a palm out while blueprints in the area swirled together in a large glowing ball before swooping, spinning then returning to their respectful places.

"…This is impressive." Xavier admitted after a small moment of silence.

"Isn't it?" Tony laughed, a large grin that faltered quickly as he sighed, pressing his hands on the table.

"Okay completely honest with me…Do Jean and Scott remember me?" He asked, and Xavier winced, waiting as he tried to describe.

"…They find your quirks and speaking habits familiar, however they dismiss it in thoughts of television, or overhearing it from one of the students. Young Mrs. Pryde _is_ quite mesmerized with you- she is rather adept with computers, perhaps you could assist her with more lessons?" Xavier asked calmly while Tony snorted.

"That girl, Shadowcat? What are you doing, getting a hacker on the X-men?" Tony gave a slight grin.

"There was no replacement for you, Anthony." Xavier spoke softly, causing Tony to swallow thickly.

"I was never a part of-"

"I have a suit for you."

Tony froze, looking baffled as Xavier smiled, running his finger over the metal table of Tony's work area.

"I met with several of your custom tailors, I found your measurements years ago and made you a suit…Well Hank _made _it. It's been updated with the recent design, and is ready to be worn." Xavier smiled, and Tony froze.

A…suit.

"You made me an X-men suit?" He spoke, lips not moving properly in his surprise, causing the words to be slightly clipped.

"Of course. You gained a spot on the team in the year you were my student, Anthony." Xavier smiled, his face serious as it showed his thoughts behind it.

Tony felt slightly like he was choking up. Xavier wanted _him?_

"What about before? When I was in A-"

"I searched for you with Cerebro. You were blocked from my mind, I suspect a telepath was located in Afghanistan with you, Anthony. Storm investigated, however she merely thought it was a favor between us. She is slightly suspicious, if any." Xavier stated, and Tony felt like choking again.

_"You got a family?"_

_"Yes, and I will see them when I leave here. And you, Stark?"_

If he accepted the suit, he was an X-men. He was already an Avenger, he _had_ a family. He had Clint and Bruce, his confused and enjoyable younger brothers, Thor the oblivious older and Steve the bossy brother. Not to mention Natasha, his killer 'little sister'.

Could he really include the X-men in with that equation?

"I don't expect you to accept it, Anthony. I'll leave it in your room. If you accept it, I hope to see you wear it proud on the battle field one day." Xavier nodded, turning to move, and Tony blinked, a wave of butterfly wings and the door was held open for Xavier, who only smiled softly as he exited.

Could he fight, not as Iron Man, but as a _mutant?_

_x-(X)-x_

The X-men were gathered in the Helicarrier Avenger room. It was normally a gigantic meeting room that Fury used to use for ambassador deals, however, with Stark's latest conversions, it had become something akin to a large rec. room. It came fixed with game stations, a bar (stocked with alcohol, of course), and countless other entertainment devices, as well as a huge wall of glass overlooking the ocean.

"So…This is your view _every day?"_ Kitty breathed in awe, sitting on the lush leather couch and staring out at the sparkling water.

"Pretty much," shrugged Clint, who sitting nearby with his arms behind his head.

"Impressive. But, what do you do when you need to get to the city?" Bobby inquired, while sitting next to Rogue, who was listening with interest.

"Take a Quinjet –Tony got one with our names on it," Clint suggested lazily, while Kitty nearly squealed again in delight.

"Speaking of Tony, where is he?" Natasha asked, holding a glass of some sort of alcohol –which she needed after she quit talking with the girls of the X-men.

"…He's in his lab with Professor Xavier," Jean stated firmly, earning an eyebrow raise from Clint.

"I'm a telepath," Jean blushed, and this time Natasha's expression hardened.

"Oh?"

"Only when I want to be –I don't like intruding on people's minds," Jean blushed. Scott shot a look to Natasha, who looked back evenly.

"More importantly, what does that arrogant idiot want with the Professor," Logan growled, standing at the bar and holding a dark looking beer in his hand.

"First of all, that 'arrogant idiot' paid for the beer," Tony glared, walking in the room with swagger and a lack of companions.

"Ah, the royal ass returns," Clint drawled from the couch, causing Thor to look up with a large grin.

"Friend Stark! You must hear of these wonderful tales–"

"Heard them already. X-men, you make quite a title for yourselves," Tony nodded, locking eyes with Logan, who _growled_ at him quietly in return.

"Don't start this, Tony," Bruce warned from his chair, having been talking to Ororo, who looked up with a displeased look.

"Oh great –you're one of those 'Mutants are bad' politicians, aren't you?" Scott growled, causing Tony to blink, even though he'd winced internally –that one stung.

"Well–" He started, but was cut off as he flinched, due to the bottle cap that had just collided with his head."Hey! Legolas! I'm talking here!" Tony glared and Clint rolled his eyes from the couch.

"Legolas?" Bobby asked, lifting his eyebrows.

"Stark gives us pet names –I think he has a fetish for it," Clint muttered. Kitty snickered, while Rogue managed a grin at the comment.

"Anyways, Stark here says things without thinking. Don't mind him," Natasha drawled, while Tony's eyes widened in annoyance.

"Hey! I think three times faster than any of you!" Tony snapped, a wave of annoyance rolling off of him, enticing an eyebrow raise from Jean.

"Oh? Is that why you have a mental block?"

Bruce's eyebrows shot up, while most of the X-men tensed, causing a few of the Avengers to do so as well.

"A mental block?" Natasha repeated, and Jean nodded.

"It's like an electric field –you get too close and he shocks you," she warned.

Logan growled quietly, causing Tony to groan in annoyance. "Oh, shut your growling. What are you, a Chihuahua?" he groaned. Logan scowled, hands tensing, and with a sharp _Shhliiik!_ noise, three long metal claws sprouted from his knuckles.

"_Oooh_, shiny." Tony noted dryly, in which Logan growled louder.

"You listen here bub-"

"Logan," Ororo warned, rising, as did Bruce.

"Tony," Bruce warned, and Tony scoffed, turning back to the bar to pour a drink.

"Don't mind him, he's an idiot," Clint sighed from the couch, causing Rogue to sigh.

"So _this_ is Tony Stark?" She sighed, causing Tony to stiffen a second before flashing a grin.

"What, you expecting something worse?" He asked, and Logan growled again, causing Tony to frown.

"I wasn't expecting someone as hard headed as the suit," Logan barked, causing Tony to lift an eyebrow.

"Ohh, ouch. Like I haven't heard _that_ one before. Calculating how much light is refracting, and the fact you have a nasty habit of slicing through every known element, I think you shouldn't be talking, Adamantium bones," Tony shot back, causing a full blown snarl, which caused Thor to look over with interest.

"Whoa, cool yourself Chihuahua, don't want you biting some old ladies heels," Tony rolled his eyes, causing the claws to come out again.

"Put on the suit and lets go a few rounds." Logan hissed, and Tony paused, as if thinking.

"Let's see- indestructible claws and a healing rate 72 times better than a Starfish. I think I'll pass," Tony dryly stated as Logan approached him.

"Put on the suit," He growled again, and Tony paused, looking at Steve.

"You know, this seemed kinda' familiar," he conversationally threw, while Steve just sighed into his hand.

"Logan," Jean warned, and finally the other man gave one more growl before turning and walking over towards Rogue, who gave a slight nod to whatever it was.

Natasha walked up to Tony, glaring hard, and before he could say anything, smacked him across the cheek, causing Jean to inhale in surprise and Bobby to give a low whistle, which Rogue shoved him for.

Tony winced, moving his jaw a few times before glaring back.

"That was uncalled for," Natasha stated.

Tony looked at her incredulously. "You just _slapped me_ for having a _conversation?"_ he asked, and Natasha shrugged.

"Stark, with you, a conversation is reason enough," Steve sighed, apologizing to Scott, who looked smug, while Jean just looked slightly flushed at what just happened.

"…Ouch," Kitty winced, having spontaneously appeared next to him, causing him to jump slightly.

"I'm Kitty! Nice to meet you!" she grinned, causing Tony to lift an eyebrow, but then a small grin tugged at his lips.

"Tony Stark –but you know that. Say, you wouldn't by any chance be Mrs. Pryde, would you?" Tony asked, and Kitty's eyes widened.

"How did you-"

"Professor X said something about you knowing a little about computers," Tony smirked at how her jaw had dropped open in shock.

"…Really?" she asked, voice rising in pitch from excitement.

"Sure, just don't blow anything up," Tony shrugged, and the girl squealed, racing over to Ororo, who blinked then gave a confused nod. Then, Kitty ran over, grabbing Tony around his waist and oddly enough, hugging him.

"Oh my _god –_thank you! I can't believe this is actually happening, this is so _cool!"_ She squealed, and Tony blinked, before shrugging.

Maybe the X-men wouldn't be that bad.

"Brucie, take Kitty to the lab. Jarvis will let you know if we blow something important up," Tony called over his shoulder as Kitty stood impatiently in the doorway, grabbing his arms as he led the energetic girl towards his lab.

"And _this –_is my lab," Tony announced, spinning the doors open with a flourish as the girl walked in, jaw dropping in awe.

"…You are my god," She deadpanned, causing Tony to snicker lightly as the girl raced all over, boots clicking and the leather squeaking lightly as she looked at the holograms, running her fingers through them before looking at a screen the size of a large TV.

"Jarvis, open a scrambling bug to…Eh, my credit card." Tony shrugged while Kitty looked at him in surprise.

_"Certainly, however you must narrow your search to a single credit card," _a disembodied voice stated, causing Kitty to jump quickly and glance around, while Tony snickered.

"Just…Okay… how about, eh, my deposits?" Tony shrugged, tossing a ball of a hologram around while Kitty blinked, confused.

"Why are you letting me hack into your personal information?" Kitty asked with a wide eyed blink.

"Kid-dy…Kiddy….huh–" Tony mused and Kitty winced at the horrible nickname.

"_Anyways,_ _I_ don't even know what's on there. I could hardly care less where my money goes; as long as it isn't to some cat shelter –I don't like cats," Tony frowned, wrinkling his nose as he plopped onto a spinning chair, pulling up some sort of hologram as he started fiddling with the screen.

The first few minutes, Kitty was struggling to understand the long codes that continuously filtered in and out of the screen –causing her to scramble to catch up to the quick updates.

After a slow moving hour, she had slipped into a drudgingly slow pace and was tirelessly decoding the many lines that she had mentally converted to the lines of a prison cell, slowly hacking away until they gave out.

Several times, she nearly swiped her hand through the computer, knowing that it would break, but then Mr. Stark(_Tony. _It's _Tony) _would be mad and probably never let her back in.

So, she sighed and continued on.

Many hours later, Stark had started to work on the suit. She admittedly, took the time to gape and watch in a fan-girl awe as he worked, wiping sweat from his brow to leave the_ perfect,_ grease smudge. She nearly sighed right then and there, falling into a boneless heap of X-men goo.

She shook her head, continuing to work on the program as she swiped a messy strand of her brown hair aside, clicking and typing a few things before cackling quietly, but loud enough to cause Stark to look over with an eyebrow raised.

"You broke it? Admittedly, I expected you not to be able to get it _anyways,_ but with your mutation," Tony shrugged while Kitty frowned.

"I can phase through walls," she stated, and Tony blinked in surprise before shrugging,

"Eh, never mind then." Tony waved one hand, moving with a blowtorch to smolder two wires together while Kitty sighed, scrolling through the insane amount of hospital, science, and many charity donations.

She scanned through, before a word caught her eye and caused her to freeze at the bottom.

_'Where was it?' she_ froze, blinking and using one finger to trail across the thin line.

_Donation: Monthly. 10,000$ Charles Xavier –Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters_

She blinked, carefully following the line to see how many deposits had been made since this started, maybe it was a recent thing?

_Donations on record: 120._

_Total money donated: $1,200,000_

Kitty managed a small squeak of shock and rose quickly, nearly stumbling and falling from her chair, which she would have, if she hadn't fazed through, just in time.

"Something wrong, Kiddy?" Tony asked, looking up from his smoldering project.

"N-no. Just, Scott said he wanted a roll call," Kitty swallowed, and Tony's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Jarvis, did Scottie go calling for Kid' here?" Tony asked, and before the talking walls could respond, Kitty interjected.

"Jean did… telepathy," she added curtly, and tensed, expecting more of a fight.

"Eh, okay. See ya' Kiddy," Tony shrugged, moving back to tinkering as Kitty quickly fled the room.

_'You know, for an anti-mutant, he's oddly accepting.'_

She sighed, mentally slapping herself for thinking that as she hurried into the designated X-men room Fury had given them.

"Guys!" Kitty shouted, rushing in, causing Scott to look up from his spot on a computer and Rogue and Logan to both look over the edge of the TV. Ororo blinked from her spot by the kitchen area and Jean looked up from her conversation with Ororo. Bobby appeared, holding a nearly frozen pop from one of the bars, and they stared.

"Tony Stark's been making donations to the school!" Kitty panted eyes wide as she nearly sunk through the floor in her excitement.

Jean gasped, Scott glancing at her and racing over, while Logan scanned Kitty's eyes.

"How long?" He growled, and Jean answered this time.

"Ten years," She whispered, surprise still in her voice, and Scott recoiled in astonishment.

"…Whoa, we've had _Iron Man _giving us money?" Bobby asked, disbelief on his face, while even Rogue shared a look of curiosity.

"Not only that. He's donated more than _a million dollars_ to us," Kitty stated, looking rather smug.

The glass in Bobby's hand hit the ground with a crash, glass and tiny frozen pop shards slid across the ground.

"Impressive, eh?" Kitty grinned, hopping over the couch and snatching the remote from Logan's frozen hand.

"Now… what's on?"

* * *

**Tell me if i'm getting their personalities right- i've never seen the movies.**

**Review!**

**~Oceanbreeze7**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's a story! YAY!**

**Anyways, this was a challenge, that has turned into a multi-chapter fic...enjoy.**

**Okay, this should be the chapter just before the major scene. It's mostly just a filler, but i know it's what a few of you have been waiting for. :)**

* * *

Tony sighed, closing his door loudly behind him.

Of course- why had it slipped his mind? Of _course_ the girl would find out he'd been _giving Xavier Thousands._

Life was just against him.

It wasn't the money fact that had been bothering him.

It was that he hadn't noticed it until _three days later._

Three. Days.

He sighed, flicking on the lights and walking into the large ( What was he thinking? This was closet sized) room SHIELD had personally listed as his. Not to mention, the spray painted Iron Man face he had so glee fully put on there.

He walked in, snagging the door to the mini fridge he had snuck in there, and pulling out some Canadian Ice wine, fumbling for a glass when he turned.

There was a box, on his bed.

It wasn't huge, like a hat box, but was instead about the size of a laptop case, coating in normal looking brown paper and taped with bright obvious masking tape.

_Tony_, was written across the surface in a handwriting Tony would recognize anywhere.

He exhaled, weakly setting the cold bottle on the top of the fridge before warily approaching the bed, sitting on it slightly, causing the box to slide towards the dip on its previously flat resting spot.

He touched it, and indeed the brown paper was akin to those shopping bags were made out of. He grabbed a corner, tugging on it and ignoring the loud ripping noise as the paper tore free.

The box, if possible, was plainer then the paper.

"Cheep cardboard? Really?" Tony snorted, grabbing the one side and tugging, the container moving with his hands, sliding open.

He recoiled, breathing stopping for a moment as he saw the outfit- similar to SHIELD's own in one way.

He trailed his finger of the (surprisingly) soft leather. His skin forming a contrast with the dark colour as he turned it, not feeling the leather resist or stiffen.

"Someone must have cured this recently." Tony shrugged, swallowing a thick lump in his throat as he lifted it out, moving the sleeves and blinking as he felt a slightly thicker spot on the outfit, fitting tight to the inside on all surfaces excepting the inside of his arms.

"Bullet Proof? My my, Xavier, you're getting smart with this." Tony grinned, a small weak one as he found the hidden zipper, pulling it open and inspecting the clothing article.

Indeed it was bullet proof, lined with weaved particle fiber that would make more resistance then the leather itself. The leather, he speculated, was possibly the only clothing that would work with other mutations, technically being skin.

He tugged it, gently setting it on his bed while pulling out the matching pants, (He grimaced at that) that were amazingly enough, soft enough and somehow broken in enough not to hinder movement.

The last things were the leather black boots, and once he pressed in on them- he could tell that they were metal toed. Smart, if it weren't for the fact their main threat could _control metal._

"Wonder who came up with _that_ idea." Tony snorted, before momentarily frowning.

Didn't Wolverine have metal claws…metal covered _bone-_

"Ouch." Tony winced, running his finger over the leather then at his own dressy outfit.

It couldn't hurt to try it on, right?

He slipped in the tight pants, lacing the boots and slipping the leather shirt over his bare torso, feeling it slide over the cool glass of his reactor.

He finished fixing the odd little X-men belt clasp to a loud click before turning, freezing at his appearance.

Tony was used to looking attractive, normally choosing outfits that made half of the paparazzi fall out of their chair looking at him. Wearing this was completely different.

It didn't stick to him painfully tight (Cough_Natasha_Cough) but instead had the bullet proof layer on the inside to create a thicker boundary, causing more movement for him.

The pants were surprisingly smooth, nearly as flexible as sweatpants, and hugging his calves and thighs in a way that most of his under Suit clothing did.

The shoes were surprisingly comfortable, not one of those thick soled hiking boots that made a painful squeezing feeling every step. They were a little tight around his ankle, but nothing was perfect.

He blinked, his reflection was…odd. It wasn't that he looked bad in his opinion. Heaven forbid if he looked like a SHIELD lackey. He didn't have that aura, the clean crisp suit mixed with his near black hair and dark eyes.

He looked…_good._ He looked as if the suit had been designed to fit his personality perfectly.

He reached out, fingers trailing on the mirror as he completely expected flesh and butterfly kisses of another person's life force. Meeting cold glass was his snap back to reality.

He let out a low whistle, turning slightly and smirking approvingly how it fit upon his back.

"I'll hand it to you, Xavier. You have one hell of a fashion designer." Tony nodded, before a loud beep and a red light casted his room in a near infrared glow.

His eyes widened, looking towards the screen that Jarvis quickly pulled data up on.

_Mutant attack on Upper Downtown. X-men and Avengers requested._

"Crap." Tony cursed, hand moving towards the zipper to his shirt while a loud overhead speaker crackled on.

_"Stark? Get your ass in that suit, and head downtown right now!"_

Tony cursed, Fury logging off while he spun, part of the wall sliding out already while his suit unlatched, sensors waiting to mold together.

"…This is going to be a tight squeeze." Tony grunted, walking forward and spinning on his metal lined shoes. The suit clamping down over his joints, breath wheezing as the suit clamped, before expanding slightly to allow him to breathe.

"Thanks Jarvis." Tony winced; taking a few painful steps before the pressure around his feet automatically corrected itself, expanding slightly to fit the tight leather under.

_"Of course Sir. May I suggest not wearing this garment again until further calculations have been made?"_

"Whatever." Tony shrugged, turning and looking at the wall, which unfolded to show a long hole in the ground.

_"Stark! Where the hell are yo-"_

"Hold your horses, Nicky! I'm on my way downtown!" Tony shouted through the speakers.

_"…Fine. The rest of us are on the X-men's jet, Blackbird, or Crow or some other type of freaking bird-"_

"What about Xavier?" Tony asked, already dropping through the hole as Jarvis hooked up a feed.

_"He's riding a Quinjet with me. We're watching in the air- finding out a few weaknesses of these freaking mutants you're fighting."_

"Just peachy." Tony drawled, seeing open clouds before starting his repulsors and blasting away, towards downtown.

x-(X)-x

_Previously_

"Maybe…he just did it for appearances?" Rogue offered, all of the occupants of the room circled on the couch, ignoring the beautiful view. They were still having this discussion, debating possible answers for three days. (The first having been rather awkward, but they slowly opened up to each other)

"Seems like something Tony would at least _remember-_ supplying that much money." Steve shifted, and Scott snorted.

"With the cash he's flaunting around, he could donate half a million to save cats and not notice."

"Not cats." Bruce immediately stated, causing Wolverine to arch one eyebrow. "Tony _really_ hates cats."

"Look, it doesn't matter. What I want to know is _why_ he's supplying us with so much money while he obviously politically against the thought of mutants." Jean stressed, causing Clint to lift one eyebrow.

"I thought you were a mind reader. Aren't you used to, say…finding patterns between people's actions and thoughts? Couldn't _you_ just guess what he'd think if he did tha- never mind. Forgot we were talking about _Stark."_

Storm let out a low chuckle before looking outside.

"What if it was just a ploy?" Rogue asked, looking at Natasha whose eyes flashed slightly.

"You think so?" Natasha scoffed, while Wolverine turned with a growl.

"Hey- don't question her." He hissed, and Bruce frowned.

"I see why you clash with Tony. Either you'd get along _really_ well, or hate each other." Bruce commented while Wolverine snarled.

"I'll _never _team up with a government _idiot_ like him." He spat, and the door slid open.

"You'd be surprised. Mr. Stark is actually against the government." Xavier noted, wheelchair sliding in near silently while Kitty looked up with a smile.

"Doesn't matter. You have any idea why he'd donate so much money?" Scott asked, and Charles smiled slightly.

"We've met, and came off on rather friendly terms. Perhaps he was just repaying the favor." Xavier smiled, and Jean frowned.

"Why haven't we heard about him, then?" Jean asked, and Bruce shrugged.

"With Tony, if he doesn't want to be known for doing something. You'd never know." He shrugged, and Wolverine snorted.

"Try me, the paparazzi would report anything, even when he gets a new girly to wipe his nose for him." He snorted, while Natasha smirked slightly.

"Five days ago, he blew up a nuclear missile facility."

"…So?" Bobby asked, tilting his head slightly while having been quiet previously.

"_Underground_,in an abandoned metro tunnel under the Empire State Building." Clint added, getting Kitty to squeal slightly.

"Correct. A rather impressive feat." Xavier mentioned, rolling forward to sit alongside Jean, who was next to Scott.

"Hello Professor. I trust everything is to your liking?" Steve patiently asked, while Xavier smiled back.

"Indeed it is. However, I have recently been contacted with information that may benefit you all." He stated calmly, attracting attention.

"Kurt recently contacted me. He and Hank have been locating recent movements from the Brotherhood. I have been alerted, that a large population of their forces have been scoping out locations in downtown New York."

"Kurt? I wasn't aware that there were more of…the X-men." Steve added, and Scott gave a grim smile.

"A few of us weren't able to come do to a more…physical, mutation." He stated and Clint's eyebrows shot up.

"How-"

"Kurt, who goes by Nightcrawler, is…blue skinned, and has a tail." Rogue added, and Bruce gave a slight snort.

"Hank, who goes by Beast, has blue fur and claws." Kitty piped up and Bruce gave a small smile.

"I can't object. I get angry and turn green." He shrugged and Wolverine coughed out a short laugh.

"So…Kurt, does he normally join your fights? All battle footage seems to lack him, not to mention very rarely if ever spotting Hank in battle." Natasha stated, eyes narrowing slightly while Jean looked at her with a small smile.

"The Blue Elf has a vanishing act." Wolverine grunted, and Bruce blinked in surprise.

"…He can teleport?" He stated, and Storm gave a wry smile.

"You'd be surprised at some of the mutations there are." Storm stated, and Clint lifted an eyebrow.

"Bet you we've seen weirder." Clint tried, and Scott leaned forward a grin on his face.

"Oohhh! This is going to be fun." Rogue grinned, leaning forward and watching interestedly.

"I and a bub named Sabertooth have claws that can cut through anything." Wolverine grunted, the metal claws sliding out with a _Shlinkkk!_

"Met a robot with a laser that was hot enough to literally able to divide air molecules and almost make a black hole, or something like that." Clint stated, causing Storm to look up with a small smile.

"I can control weather." She stated strongly, and Thor snorted, having just walked in from the attached kitchen.

"Fear not, fair maiden, for I too can control weather." He stated largely with a toothy grin.

"Hey Thor." Clint casually waved, and Thor moved, sitting on a lonely chair with a grin.

"I can shoot lasers out of my eyes." Scott added, and Natasha spoke up this time.

"Stark can shoot energy beams out of his visor, hands, feet, and chest piece." Natasha added.

"I'm a telapath, as is Jean here." Professor Xavier added, smiling as he found the entire thing amusing.

"We fought aliens from outer space." Bruce added with a grin.

"I can phase through solid objects!" Kitty shouted out with a laugh.

"Hold- my brother can create duplicates of himself." Thor grinned, and Bobby hummed.

"I can create objects out of ice." Bobby challenged, and Clint grinned himself.

"I can shoot a quarter a half mile away." He added, and Rogue looked towards Kitty, mouthing something that looked oddly enough like '_Dominoe?'_

"Magneto can control metal." Wolverine added.

"I turn into an invincible green rage monster." Bruce smiled, and Jean hummed.

"…I can drain energy from a person with a single touch." Rogue added quietly, and Scott frowned, looking at Xavier.

"Wasn't there a mutant before who had something similar- something about 'directing energy' or something?" Scott frowned, and Jean snapped her head around in alarm.

"Yeah- some guy named…" Scott frowned.

"There was a man, I met once, long _long_ ago. His name was Sebastian Shaw." Xavier offered, and Wolverine looked up in surprise, eyes narrowed as Jean frowned, shaking her head.

"No…He- he was at the school for a while, wasn't he? One of your first students…" She frowned, and Ororo looked up, realization in her eyes.

"The boy? I- he left just after I met you, Jean, right?" She asked with a puzzled frown, and Scott nodded.

"Yes, he-" He froze, hands moving to his visor as if he remembered.

"He made me the visor- and he got you your necklace, Jean. Before it was ruined and refitted to make that one." He nodded to the Phoenix pendent fitted with red rubies, her hand covered it delicately in surprise.

"I feel kinda' left out here, bub." Wolverine growled, giving a glare to Scott, who ignored it.

"He…his name was…Anton? Ash- Ashton! His name was Ashton…Something." Scott scowled, and Natasha leaned forward with a frown.

"Ashton, you say?" Bruce asked, snapping his fingers and bringing down one of SHIELD's search bars, slipping in the search word.

"His name was Ashton Carter. He left when he was 21," Xavier stated calmly, and Natasha took over, using the proper databanks before frowning as the bold flashing words of _Error: Person not found._ Popped up a few times.

"Ah, well…how about we just forget about hi-"

Red lights flashed, and Natasha reacted, jumping into a crouch as her head flashed to the door, Clint already at the door, hitting the speaker button.

"What is the emergency, Sir?" He reported, and a crackle before a word.

_"Mutants in upper Downtown. A large group of 'em. Take a jet and get down there Bart-"_

"We can take the Blackbird. It's faster." Scott offered, standing up while the others seemed to notice the threat.

_"Fine. Just get your asses down there now. Stark knows and he's getting his suit on now."_

"If you do not mind, is there a suitable area for me to watch the battle without interfering in a negative way?" Xavier asked calmly, and Fury was quiet for a tiny second.

_"Yeah. Professor, you can ride with me. I have a trustworthy agent flying us in a Quinjet. We can watch from the distance."_

"That would be most satisfactory." Xavier nodded.

_"Stark's on the way. Get on that jet of yours, and hurry down. A large group of those mutants are screwing up downtown."_

"On our way, Sir."

Clint let go of the button, moving and looking at the X-men, all ready and in action, Jean behind Xavier with her hands on his wheelchair, the rest of them seemingly ready for any attack.

The avengers were likewise ready, Thor automatically fitted with Mjolnir. Natasha had her guns on her, and Bruce was rolling his sleeves up, and Steve had his shield from where he set it by the couch.

Clint found himself giving a nod. "Let's roll."

* * *

**Okay! Sorry it wasn't longer, but hey, i've been busy!**

**Thanks!**

**~Oceanbreeze7**

* * *

**_IMPORTANT!_  
**

**__My list of Challenges i kept running in a file, became corrupted a few hours ago. Therefore, if you have sent me ANY challenges between now, and the beginning of this month, please re-send them through to me! (Review works)**

**I just need a reminder as for what they are, and i'll remember. Please!**

**Sorry for the inconvenience!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ha, two chapters in one day. You are all spoiled. :)**

**Here it is! The Scene you've been waiting for! (I think)**

* * *

The sky was clear; nothing was amiss as he soared over the water, scanning for anything out of the ordinary.

Once he got close enough to the city, could he see the smoke.

"Jarvis, where is the smoke mostly located?" Tony asked, eyes flickering across the screen as reports and statistics flooded across his visor.

_"Sir, the fires are mostly located in northern Manhattan."_

"Great, Manhattan, _again._ Make a link up to Rogers- sorry, make a link to the Blackbird, feed me through a visual." Tony stated, and after a few seconds, a black screen on the left side was his response.

_"Report your position, ranking, mutation, and title or we will be forced to use extreme measures." _A clipped voice of Storm commanded, and Tony lifted his eyebrows from the other side.

"Wow, haven't had to do this in a while. Uh, over water. Billionaire. None, and Iron Man." He grinned, a crackle and a rather annoyed face of Natasha answered him.

"Hey Natashalie! I thought the mutants were piloting?" He blinked, and the screen turned, showing all of the X-men (minus Xavier) suited up in leather and rolling their eyes.

_"What do you have to report, Stark."_

"Aww, not wanting to hear me speak?" He pouted, and the screen slammed against something, causing him to jump.

"Fine fine! They're attacking Manhattan. I see a lot of smoke, so if you know any mutant that uses fire, tell me."

_"…Pyro…some kid around Bobby's age uses fire."_

"Fantastic." Tony drawled, now skimming over buildings.

_"…Do you see any more mutants?"_

"Not reall- _what?_ What the heck is _that?"_ Tony shouted, sensor noticing a huge moving mass.

_"What is it, Stark?"_

"Some sort of huge living McDonalds sponsor!" Tony yelped, looking up and scanning the dozens of mutants just appearing.

_"Blob. Anyone else?"_

"A girl who looks part panda with a gun, some freaky-ass kid with a huge tongue- no! Is that a rhino horn! Gah- give me aliens any day! This is insane!"

The visual turned, and it was now Wolverine, sending him a look that obviously said _'You-have-no-idea'_

_"That's Domino. The chameleon is Frog, and the horn bub, is Rhino. Look for mutants in the air, those are the ones that only Storm and Cyclops can get. Knock 'em down and we'll take care of the rest."_

"Gotcha'. Any In the air I should really look out for?" Tony asked, now the mutants looking up and growling, swearing, or doing offending things once they spotted him.

_"Watch out for Vanisher. He's not too bad of a threat, but if you get to close to a building he's on, he'll jump right on you."_

"Let me guess, freakishly long legs?" Tony growled, and Wolverine snorted.

_"No. He has the Blue Elf's trick. He can teleport on things. Not nearly as quick or as fast as Fuzzy, but still annoying. There's Phantazia, who can do some sort of funny trick with electricity. Watch out for that, Metal Man."_

"Fine. They should be easy enough. See ya'." Tony grinned, swooping down in a dive before pulling up and slamming into the road, cracking it as took his force.

Hel looked, scanning the huge bulking mutant, which completed his incredibly stupid look with a round helmet that looked like the top half of a golf ball.

"Hey, big guy. What's your mutation, a human battering ram?" Tony asked, and the other man growled.

"I'm Avalanche!" He roared, and suddenly, strong vibrations caused Tony to nearly fall.

"Okay- I get the name." Tony shrugged, suddenly firing an unexpected repulsor blast and sending the man flying into a building, causing the wall to crack.

"See, I haven't actually fought mutants that much." Tony shrugged, grabbing the blinking mutant, and threw him over his shoulder, watching as he completely destroyed the car he was thrown onto.

"If they're all like you, I don't see much of a threat." Tony shrugged, watching as Avalanche groaned.

"Think again!" A odd creepy laugh made, and Tony's visor was cut off, Jarvis running scans quickly.

"…Did you just spit on me?" Tony stated dryly, Jarvis blasting a high-powered air blaster to remove the sticky phlegm substance.

It was a creepy man with a greenish tinted skin, brown hair and silted brown eyes. He was crouched in a painful looking position and had a rather odd grin.

_"Sir. The scans report that this is the mutant named 'Toad' as Wolverine stated before."_

"…You named yourself after a slimy frog?" Tony stated, and the man looked annoyed, hissing.

"I'm Toad! Frogs are slimy- I'm _not_ a frog!" He spat, and took and insane leap.

Tony spun, twisting and moving just in time for the odd amphibian human to land a few feet from him, hissing.

"That's all you can do? Jump around like a little rabbit?" Tony snickered, and the mutant's eyes alit with anger.

He flashed his tongue, grabbing Tony's arm, and Tony recoiled, struggling against the huge muscle.

Then he stopped, looking at Toad, who blinked, confused.

"Are you kidding me?" Tony asked dryly, twisting his arm to actually _grab_ the muscle.

Toad's eyes widened.

_Bam…bam…bambambambam!_

Toad groaned, having been thrown repeatedly into the ground in a move Tony had watched the Hulk do with Loki. (He always wanted to try it!)

A red blast shot past him, slamming into Avalanche who had just gotten up, propelling him into another car while Tony looked at Scott.

"About time you got here, tough trying to find a parking spot?" Tony joked, and Scott said nothing, noticing Toad.

Tony shrugged, throwing him again just for the fun of it.

"The rest split up. Storm is with Thor, over on the East side. Steve is with Wolverine, Bruce is on his own, but Clint and Natasha are with the children, close enough to monitor him." Cyclops nodded, and before Tony could question Jean, she appeared from around the side of a building,

"Everyone fine?" Scott asked Jean, who touched her ear slightly before giving a nod.

"Seems so. Iceman, Shadowcat and Rogue found Pyro, Rhino, and Domino. Wolverine and Captain found Sabertooth." Jean stated, causing Cyclops to look surprised.

"Sabertooth is here?" He blinked and Jean gave a nod.

"Storm and Thor are against Blob and Destiny. I think the Hulk is against Vanisher but that's it so far." Jean nodded, closing her eyes and removing her hand.

"Uh, I got Toad and Avalanche." Tony pointed, to the fallen two, and Jean shook her head.

"Iron Man, go help Wolverine and Captain. We'll help Natasha and Clint." Cyclops nodded and Jean looked concerned.

"Shouldn't we help Storm and Thor?"

Tony snorted, firing his repulsors. "Trust me, Thor doesn't need any help."

And he flew, firing through the air quickly, spotting the bright red white and blue outfit.

"Hey guys- mind If I cut in?" Tony shouted, just as a large prehistoric man-mutant turned with a snarl, a repulsor blast sending him flying into the small corner supermarket.

"We don't need your help, bub." Wolverine snarled, Tony watching in surprise as long jagged cuts magically healed in front of him on Wolverine's face.

"…Are we fighting a kitten, or something?" Tony blinked.

A loud sound of a tiger roaring as suddenly Tony couldn't see, and instead flashing warning signs of areas being scratched or the metal shredding slightly.

"I take it back! I take it back- this is _not_ a freaking kitten!" Tony yelped, swinging his hand up and colliding hard against the mutant's shoulder, flinging him off from where Wolverine snarled (creepily familiar) and slashed with his claws, a long bloody streak running down the cat like mutant's arm.

It turned, lunging again as Steve spun, hurling his shield to collide with the creature's head, sending it back towards the store, crashing through the glass where it remained fallen on the ground.

"Nice." Steve panted, nodding to Wolverine, who wiped some of the blood on his face from his previous wounds.

"Whatever. Anything come in from the others?" Wolverine growled, and Steve touched his ear (Tony was getting proud at how he had learned technology)

"…Yeah. Thor and Storm are still fighting Vanisher and Phantazia, something about Phantazia using their lighting against them…Cyclops and Jean are with the kids and Black Widow. Hawkeye is scouting ahead. Some mutant with duplication showed up…Cyclops said something about a…Mystique? Something like that just showed up." Steve ordered, and Wolverine growled under his breath.

"Get out of here, Rogers. I'm scouting for any more." Wolverine growled, starting to walk in the opposite direction.

"I'll watch the skies." Tony nodded, jumping into the air as Wolverine started a fast run, Tony scanning the ground also.

_"Iron Man." _The growl sounded, and Tony looked down, seeing the still running leather clad Wolverine.

"What's up?" He asked, looking ahead.

_"Does that suit of yours contact the Professor?"_

Tony blinked, pulling up a separate communications link to the Quinjet, and waited, seeing the screen crackle black.

"Yeah, give me a moment." Tony reported to Wolverine, disconnecting while the picture of Fury and Xavier blinked into view. The pilot behind a sound resistant door.

_"Stark!"_

_"Anthony." _Both spoke at the same time, Fury more in surprise while Xavier was in relief.

"Hey Professor, Nickey." Tony grinned while Fury fumed quietly.

"Anyways, how far away are you from the battle?"

_"Half a mile out over the water."_

"Good. Professor X. Can you do a mental scan to see if there are any mutants near us? Wolverine and I are scouting, looking for any stragglers." Tony stated, lowering and weaving behind the Oscorp tower before rising into the air again.

_"We're a damn half a mile away Stark! He can't-"_

"Shut up Nick. Professor X can do it, and I bet you right now he is." Tony snarked back, and before Fury could say anything, he looked to Xavier, who had a hand pressed to his temple.

_"…I sense the fallen mutants you and the others have managed to defeat. I sense another mind north of your position, but it is blocked…I cannot read his or her mind…"_

"One second- Wolverine. Know any mutants that have a mind block?" Tony asked, swapping communications.

_"There's one girl named Frost. Backstabber if you ever saw one."_

"How would I recognize her?" Tony asked, and he hesitated on one fast stride below.

_"…Oh trust me. You'd recognize her. The only other one that can keep Chuck out is Magneto."_

Tony blinked, hurriedly swapping communications.

"Professor, what is the likelihood of Magneto being here?" Tony asked, keeping a visual on Logan.

_"…I'm not sure. Anthony, if you suspect Erik, get out of there."_

"Sorry Professor. I don't think I can. I'll tell Wolverine, okay?" Tony asked, stopping and searching for the leather clad animalistic mutant.

_"Stark. If the Professor tells you to get your ass out of there, you do i-"_

_"Sir, incoming projectile."_

Tony ducked, narrowly missing a large chunk of _something_ that flew past at an extreme speed.

"Shit! Too late. It's him alright- I-_oof."_ Tony exhaled, pitching forward as a large metal streetlight slammed into his stomach.

_"Stark!" _Fury shouted, and he winced, looking at the monitors and very well ignoring Fury and Xavier.

"Jarvis! Deploy hand thrusters, keep sonar on my back and deploy missiles when anything draws close. Open a scan on Adamantium, find Wolverine. Make a feed to Cap and _find Magneto."_

Fury turned, drawing up a holographic map quickly to see if he could help.

_"Sir, connections have been made."_

"Cap!" Tony shouted, twisting and freeing himself from the pole, landing and firing repulsors against the onslaught of flying metal.

_"Tony?"_

"I found Magneto- Ack! Get your asses over here now! This isn't looking good for me!" Tony shouted, and Xavier closed his eyes, working on a telepathic link.

_"Who are you with? The Avengers are on their way!"_

"Wolverine!" Tony shouted, being slammed into a building as a car managed to hit him.

_"Anthony. I have contacted Scott. He is aware and is hurrying with the rest of the X-men."_

"Thanks X." Tony groaned, canceling the connection to Steve as he fell to his hands and knees, rebar rising from the street to grab his legs and hands.

_"Anthony. Erik controls metal using electromagnetic fields. Is it possible to disrupt these?"_

"Can't. Need actual energy that's more than 1 coulumb- enough for me to be able to actually use it." Tony groaned, finding himself pinned to the ground.

_"Is their anyway you can fight outside the suit?"_

_"What the hell are you talking about! Stark can barely hold his own against an eight year old girl!" _Fury shouted, and Xavier looked back at Tony carefully.

_"Anthony-"_

"Tell him." He grounded out, wincing and trying not to shout as the suit was getting constricting tight, then suddenly, he _wasn't on the ground anymore._

_"If you so desire it, Anthony."_

_"What are you talking about?"_

_"Anthony is a mutant."_

Fury shut up quickly enough his jaw closed with a loud click, causing Tony to laugh before blinking and seeing exactly where they were.

Wolverine was on the ground, eyes glassy and was groaned, withering on the ground in obvious agony, and the man standing above him looked like something from Star Trek.

_"You're telling me, that Godamn Stark is a MUTAN-"_

"Magneto? Really? You look like Count Dooku." Tony stated loudly, causing the helmet clad old man to look at him with a frown.

_"Anthony. Do not antagonize him further then you must." _Xavier warned.

"Ah, Anthony Stark. Foolish to go against me in your…suit of iron." Magneto eyed, prodding his stiff and frozen form on the ground. He was now forcibly twisting so his arms were above his head.

"Hey, it's Platinum Gold-" He cried out as the metal bit into him painfully, and he bit a lip to draw silently.

_"Stark! What is going on!"_

_"Magneto is able to contort metal in any way he deems fit. It seems that Anthony's suit is no exception."_

_"…Shit, hang in there Stark! Rogers is a block away and gaining."_

"Hey, Chewbacca? You look a little pale." Tony noted with a groan, not that far away from Wolverine.

Wolverine stilled, before letting out a low chuckle with a groan.

"Chewbacca- new name for Beast." He groaned, twitching from his spot on the ground.

"Enough." Magneto ordered, turning to Wolverine while Tony whispered to Jarvis.

"Inside communications- Charles?" He groaned, silent compared to the speaker before.

_"Anthony, hang on. I have communications with Kurt. He's able to get one of you, we'll get you fir-"_

"Get Wolverine. Once I'm out of the suit I'm fine. I just need to bait him enough." Tony muttered.

_"Anthony, the others should be within sigh-"_

"Tony!" Clint shouted, and Tony looked out of the corner of his eye. The Avengers rushed in, standing a fair distance away, unable to continue forward due to the wall of metal that was holding them back.

"Magneto! Let them go!" Cyclops shouted, hand drifting to his visor, and Tony winced, grunting as the suit clamped again at the already tight outfit.

"Oh, the X-men with the Avengers. I wondered if the rumors were true." Magneto drawled, and Xavier appeared on Tony's screen again.

_"Anthony. Kurt is in position. Are you sure you want him to get Logan and not yourself?"_

"Positive- I'm Achilles, I never die." Tony gave a weak grin, while Xavier chuckled lowly and Fury shouted from the other end.

_"…Achilles? What the hell- that's it. I'm done with these codenames. Iron Man was bad enough."_

"Oh shut up Nicky. Jarvis, can we fire a repulsor blast?" Tony winced, his shoulders pulled awkwardly as they were forced to hold his hands up, ironically enough, pointing towards Magneto.

_"No sir. Circuitry between the repulsors and the Ark have been severed by Magneto."_

"That bastard. Okay, I fire, in the confusion you get that Kurt to get Wolverine out of here, I'll get Magneto then."

_"Stark- you're going to take a mutant terrorist down on your own?"_

_"He's not a terrori-"_

"Trust me, I have secrets." Tony grinned, before letting out a deep breath, focusing on the Butterflies all around him, absorbing the nearby ones from the tree in the park, the grass, and a few nearby streetlights.

"Hey Magneto." Tony spoke, voice the robotic monotone as the man looked down at him, eyebrow quirked.

"Surprise." Tony grinned, forcing the energy through the broken link and firing out a pure white blast of energy, slamming into Magneto and causing him to be blasted away.

"Jarvis, deactivate armor." Tony commanded, the visor sliding back as he briefly spotted someone dark blue appearing in a puff of red smoke, grabbing Logan and vanishing again.

"Tony!" Someone on the sides shouted, but the armor was disassembled by the time Magneto returned, throwing a car Tony dodged, staying low in the wave of dust that clouded his view.

He was out of the suit and crouched by a car, feeling amazingly enough like a spy as he stayed low to the ground, trying to see if anybody was close.

He crouched, walking while he heard a few people shouting.

"Tony! Run! Get out of there!" He could hear Steve shout, apparently the dust settling enough to see his car.

He finally caught sight of the cape, and pressed his fingers to the ground, letting out a low breath as he found a small link between the ground and Magneto- _thank god he was on the ground._

He pushed, finding the trail, and _pushed._

Magneto shouted, mouth dropping in surprise as electricity physically curled over his body, smoke rising on the edges of the tacky cape as it seared, causing him to gasp as Tony pulled back, listening for anything else.

"…I can't hear him. He's blocking me again." Jean sighed, and a blue man next to them frowned, yellow eyes scanning the dust as he apparently saw Tony, eyebrows widening at the suit.

Tony pressed a finger to his lips and the mutant nodded.

"I'll go look for him." The man nodded, a germen accent in his voice as he vanished with a red cloud, suddenly appearing next to him.

"Well, not expecting you to be wearing that. Nightcrawler, at your service." Nightcrawler offered, and Tony shook his white glove before looking for Magneto, who had gotten up.

"Know where Magneto is?" Tony muttered, eyes scanning as he pressed his fingers to the ground, taking all of the nearby butterflies.

"No, he vanished in the dus-" They gasped, spinning as a car was propelled towards them, wheels sliding as the trunk came closer into view.

Tony looked at the car, and the engine roared, wheels turning and racing towards the sender, Magneto just managing to hurl it above him as he looked at Tony in some sort of shock.

"How did you do tha-"

"How close to him can you teleport me?" Tony cut off, and Kurt looked at him as if he was insane.

"You want to go _near_ him?" He repeated, and Tony rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Fuzzy Elf. How close can you get me?" He repeated, and Kurt huffed.

"…I see you've spoken to Logan." He sighed, tail whipping around as he narrowed his eyes, looking at the distance where Magneto searched for them again.

"…I can get four feet close to him, or ontop of him if you want." Kurt shrugged, and Tony snorted.

"Sure, why not, drop me on him. I've always wanted to tackle an old man." He shrugged and Kurt laughed quietly.

"Ah, you remind me of Logan. Speaking of which, where did you get that? The suit?" He blinked, and Tony noticed the leather they both wore.

"…Xavier gave it to me. I'm an old student." Tony shrugged, and Kurt looked at him in surprise.

"Oh? You surprise me, Tony Stark. Ready?" Kurt asked, gripping Tony's arm and Tony tensed.

He blinked, and he was falling.

_Ooff._ He grunted, feeling dead weight, and struggling against a mess of limbs and a _cape._

"Get off of me." Magneto near snarled, twisting his hand and a car sped towards Tony dangerously fast.

Tony cursed, and grabbed Magneto's throat.

It wasn't a tight grip but was instead something that would act as a medium.

He felt the butterflies just under the surface, and he _pulled._

"Tony!" Kurt was suddenly next to him, not exactly sure on what to do, hand on Tony's as the car drew nearer and nearer.

"Trust me." Tony grunted, eyes narrowing as he tugged harder on the butterflies, instead of the smooth and cautious flow, he just yanked, grabbing a net full and tugging until there was near _nothing_ left.

Magneto choked, eyes rolling back in his head as he dropped, limp and nothing. The car froze, wavering in the air before dropping, car alarms going off as the dust finally cleared. Tony panted leaning over as very slowly the others approached.

"Tony? What happ-" Steve froze, just having noticed the costume.

"Hey Rogers." Tony sent back a greeting, and he shook his head, stiffly getting to his feet, showing his back before turning.

"Hey guys." He nodded, seeing their eyes bug out, and Bruce's jaw drop and open again and again in surprise. The X-men weren't that much better, each looking at their own outfit before seeing the same on Tony.

"Surprise."

* * *

**Thanks to everyone who reminded me about their challenges!**

**Thanks!**

**~Oceanbreeze7.**

**P.S. I've gotten a few PM's about putting this in the X-men category. You know, i would, but i actually don't know anything about X-men. I've never seen the movies or comics, cartoons or anything like that. I think it's a combination of everything, so i think it would just be better here...in the summery I DID say there were X-men. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

"Surprise."

They stared, mouths dropped until Logan blinked, shaking his head and rolled his eyes.

"Of course, it had you be you, bub."

Then, the team seemed to snap out of it.

"…Tony- You, what-"Steve blinked, and while Tony awkwardly tried to step forward, Steve took an instinctive step back, causing Tony to freeze.

"You knocked him out. With a single touch…" Rogue whispered, looking at him before looking at him with a face with something

"Are you-"

"No." Tony cut her off, and she nodded, recoiling emotionally while she suddenly looked emotionless, and her eyes told nothing.

"You're a mutant." Natasha stated calmly, stepping over the now stiffened and collapsed wall of metal piping and walked with well placed steps.

"I am." Tony stated, swallowing down the near instinct to fear rejection in mutants.

"And you never told anyone." She stated, nearly sour with the cool tone she used, causing Clint to give him a steely eye.

This wasn't his team anymore, these were the Avengers.

And here he stood.

"Oh, I told a few people. Most don't even realize." Tony coolly added back, and Natasha said nothing, hand twitching to her gun slightly.

"Oh?"

"Well, Professor Xavier knows, he trained me for a while, you know, turns out Obie and Howard didn't find mutants that very…" Tony paused, thinking, "hominian." Tony finished, ignoring the blank faces of near everyone besides Bruce, who gave a large flinch.

"Friend Banner? I do not understand…" Thor frowned, and Bruce shifted his weight.

"Well, er- Hominian means…the family Hominidai, which includes Homo sapiens and other extinct species like Homo erectus and so on."

"…I still do not understand."

"It meant that… Tony's family…viewed mutants as, unhuman." Bruce winced, and Tony snorted.

"They viewed them as animals, something to be killed or put in a government facility to be tested on." His eyes narrowed and he looked up, eyes locked with Natasha's even ones.

"Best thing I ever did, run away and never tell that bastard."

They stared, and Thor frowned, dropping Mjolnir and calming the small part in Tony's mind, he hushed away.

"I do not understand why mortal kind would shun those with extra abilities." Thor frowned, and Tony, although flattered from the trust in he, he couldn't help but quietly respond.

"And you wonder why Loki was shunned for using magic?" He tested, and Thor recoiled, withdrawing back, while he heard a small click, and Natasha's gun safety was off.

"…Really? You're going to shoot me, when I've had my mutation for years and never showed a sign? Figures, the moment you guys show up, my cover's blown." Tony snorted, looking to the X-men, and Jean managed to look slightly strangled.

"I- We're sorr-"

"No, it's YOUR fault; you didn't have to face Magneto on your own." Logan snarled, and Tony's eyebrows lifted.

"Ohh, testy. Okay then, he's got a crush on you Jean." Tony hummed, and ducked, just as he saw the snarling lunge.

"Logan!" Rogue screamed, and Logan landed in a turn, snarling as the claws came out. Tony took a careful step back, eyes flicking to his exposed arms.

"Logan- stop this right now!" Jean shouted, and Logan gave one more snarl before pulling the claws back, taking a few steps back while Tony managed to look once at Steve, who looked torn between shocked, and disappointed.

Bruce looked like he just wanted to leave, and Clint looked like he'd follow whatever Natasha would do. Thor looked hurt and confused, and most of the X-men looked surprised or on a level of understanding they were accepting already.

"So what, you appear out of nowhere and think you're one of us?" Logan snarled, and Tony spun, a near deaf hiss escaping his lips as he glared coldly.

"No, I'm not an X-man. I'm doing what Xavier wanted, and he never let me go. I owed him a few favors, that's it." Tony defended, and Scott couldn't help but snort, Tony spun to look at him.

"Stark. You're self obsessed. No way would you help someone else like the Professor." Scott frowned, and Tony recoiled, eyes drifting to Kitty who had an overwhelming apologetic look in her eye.

Tony was quiet before he looked at Scott calmly, and spoke loudly and confidently. "You've changed."

Scott fumbled a few seconds, surprise while confusion on everyone else's face.

"I'm sorry, but I don't recall ever meeting you before this, Stark." He stated voice slightly less confident than before.

"I figured you wouldn't." Tony hummed, eyes flickering to a twisted and warped street light, bulb somehow still intact.

It flickered once, glowing brighter until it kept a steady light, causing Clint to spin and point an arrow at it.

"Is that how you were able to make that car move?" Kurt managed to speak, perched upon a tipped car, causing a few to look at him in surprise with a few smiles.

"Yeah, I have a gift with…making things work." Tony shrugged, looking at Scott, who just looked baffled.

"I- I don't know what you're-"

"No, you wouldn't remember." Tony stated with a sigh, voice slightly bitter.

"I could read your mind and draw your memory, perhaps it would spike ours, err- Antho-"

"You know, I'm not out of the loop on mutant behavior. I feel insulted that you'd think I haven't made a name for myself." Tony mock pouted, and Logan growled again, and Tony rolled his eyes, shooting the mental power that fueled his little shock fence around his mind.

"You might feel a little pu-"

_My name is Achilles._

Tony mentally stated, and his eyes narrowed as he saw her's widen in surprise.

_And you don't remember, me, do you? Tony Stark? Ashton Carter?_

"Wha-" She breathed, before a slow exhale, eyes widening.

_He was walking outside, a bright blue car with white stripes next to her, and the Professor was talking to her with a smile as Scott slipped around the corner-_

_He was sitting on a roof, watching stars while one hand fiddling with some astronomic star tracking chart-_

_He was in the Danger Room, laughing near hysterically as Scott spluttered, having been doused continuously with icy cold jets of water._

_He was in the dark, flashes of light illuminating his face as he stared at the flickering light bulb-_

_He stepped out on a street, raising one hand and breathing and suddenly the entire street was a light, car's headlights glowing and alarms blaring as streetlights exploded, stoplights glowing all three colours at once before burning out-_

_He was handing out gifts at Christmas, a visor, a new wheelchair, a simple IOU card and a ruby necklace-_

Jean gasped, stumbling backwards while Tony's eyes opened, and the electric barriers were up once more.

Her chest heaved as she was suddenly breathless, Scott gently shaking her shoulders.

"Jean? Jean- what happened?" Scott asked, shaking a little more violently as she blinked, staring at Tony in shock.

And Tony lifted one finger to his lips, with a grin and a wink.

"You bastard- what did you do to her?" Logan snarled, and Tony turned, keeping a steady eye on him, while he noted with a pang, the Avengers not stepping up, instead letting the mutants fight it out.

"I didn't do anything." Tony snapped back, feeling a rising of his temper as the Avengers spun, noticing warily how unharmed buildings in the distance were slowly flickering out.

"Then why is she like that?" Logan snarled, and Tony's eyes narrowed, a building in the distance losing power completely as he drew it in himself- heightened senses, heightened agility. The Professor wasn't lying, all those years ago.

"Logan- leave him." Jean demanded, and Logan snarled again, moving away but leaving his claws still out.

" Bu-"

"I mean it." Jean growled, and Logan slunk back, and carefully, Jean made her way over the metal broken fence, and Tony's head lifted, jaw jutting as he looked at her, Jean standing not that far away from he, within touching distance.

He staggered back, awkwardly wrapping his arms around her as she hugged him fiercely, maybe she was crying, maybe she was laughing. Tony didn't care to notice, and instead rested his chin on her head, letting out a sigh as she continuously stated something muffled into his leather suit- he assumed it was his name over and other.

"Yeah, yeah- it's fine Jean…I'm back."

x-(X)-x

He sat, hands wrapped around a glass of cold water as he stared at the ice cubes. Apparently, they didn't trust him with alcohol. It was both frustrating, and funny in Tony's eye, how they didn't trust him now they had found out his biological mutation.

"So, you all going to stare at me like a fish on display, or do I have to answer to Spangles, or are you all moving out of my house?" Tony asked with a lifted eyebrow, ice tinkling as he swirled his cup and glances at the Avengers who stared at him.

The X-men had left, Tony's insistence to Xavier of course, taking the comatose Magneto with them (he'd escape in a week, by Tony's guess), and leaving Tony on his own to fend against the entity of SHIELD.

Clint let out a sigh, sprawling back on the couch, but twisting enough for Tony to see a glint of a knife on his hip, enough of a warning for him not to make a funny move. Natasha was flipping open two little butterfly knives (ironically enough, her last Christmas gift from him) and eyed him with wary eyes. Steve had his shield nearby, and of course Thor had Mjolnir next to him.

Tony wasn't going to tell them, that with a tugging of his powers, he could make the _entire base_ crash and fall hundreds of feet into the water, probably killing everyone except for Bruce and Thor.

"So, going to interrogate me or something? Turn me into a lab rat? Lock me in a cage?" Tony asked, voice clipped and icy, Bruce showing him a sympathetic and begging look.

"Tony-" Steve started with a sigh, while Natasha's eyes narrowed, and Clint looked pointedly at Tony with a fixed look.

"No, I don't want to hear it. I'm a freak, I get it. You want me gone? Done. I want Clint to stop staring at me like my Goatee's gone? Let's see if that happens." Tony quipped, spinning and staring at Clint, who stared, eyes flickering up to a corner, and Tony frowned in confusion. What did he wan-

_Oh…_ His mind traced the butterflies in the corner, and he tugged, yanking hard on the string of energy and resisting the urge to grin as the video camera shut down, lens falling to the ground loudly, causing Bruce to jump.

"Camera's down." Tony added unnecessarily, watching amused as Natasha's fingers gripped a knife slightly harder…

"How did-"Steve started, utterly baffled, while Bruce stepped in himself.

"Are you stable?" Bruce hesitantly asked, and Tony blinked in surprise, a slightly amused curl of his lips.

"Sure, Brucey Boy. I've made it this far in my life without people knowing I'm a mutant." Tony shrugged, but Bruce didn't seem that calm.

"It doesn't excuse your behavior, Stark. You're a mutant." Natasha cut off, obviously still harsh on the subject.

"Ohhh- you don't say. I can control electricity and machinery. I have a fifth sense, it's like I have ESPN or something." Tony added in fake shock before rolling his eyes.

"Don't joke about this- is everything funny to you?" Steve sighed, exasperated while Tony rolled his eyes.

"Yeah well, that's me. Putting 'laughter' into 'manslaughter'-wait….Yeah, I take that back. I put laughter into…damn it! The only other word is 'slaughter' and that doesn't work! That's it. Bunnies. I'm putting 'laughter' into bunnies, Bunlaughternies….Shit! That sounds like a fungal infection!" Tony groaned, slamming his head into a couch while Clint just blinked.

"…caught. Short for claughting…It's what horses do." Clint blinked, and Tony paused.

"…Shut up."

"Enough." Steve sighed, and Tony looked up with a lifted eyebrow, Thor looking on in confusion.

"Friends, I do not understand why friend Anthony is a threat." He rumbled, and Bruce sighed.

"Tony's a mutant; it makes people…biologically unstable and dangerous." Bruce hesitantly stated with a wince which Tony shrugged. He was used to the crap the magazines said about other mutants,

"…But if friend Anthony was _always_ a mutant, would his stability remain the same, he is still our shield-brother, is he not?" He asked with a frown while Tony threw his hands up in the air.

"Exactly! What is with this entire mutant prejudices!" Tony groaned, and Clint lifted an eyebrow.

"Stark, a few weeks ago, _you_ were blathering on about how you were _against_ mutants."

"And do you think it would look _normal_ if I was _for_ the mutants?" Tony snapped, and Steve paused.

"I am. Human rights should expand out to mutants, they still are people." Steve noted while Tony looked pointedly at Clint who rolled his eyes.

"Doesn't matter. Mutants are threats." Natasha snapped, and Tony spun, frowning and staring at her with a scowl.

"See, _that's _what bugs me. Why the _hell_ are you acting like this is a big deal? Suddenly I'm a mutant and all the sudden I'm the bad guy? What the hell made you so against mutant- _oh." _Tony paused, and looked thoughtfully while Natasha gritted her teeth together.

"You know _nothing_ Stark."

"Oh, I _think_ you met a few of the telepaths, rogue ones all over the world. Assuming with your…_previous_ occupation, what? Twenty years ago?" He mused, and Natasha's teeth ground together.

"And mix in a few common telepaths I managed to trace in Russia at the time…that would be…well, I think Frost was over there…maybe Michelle, not really picky with her, nor with Madelyne-" Tony paused, sensing the great swelling of distress from Natasha, whose glare seemed to increase in force, he paused.

"…Madelyn Pryor? Ouch, hate that woman." Tony winced while Natasha snarled angrily.

"…Okay, I can understand your misplaced aggression- take it out on her, but _I_ didn't do anything! Don't blame me for this!" Tony whined, and Natasha looked at him coolly.

"That bitch destroyed every wall any of us ever constructed as a child. If I don't have an excuse to hate mutants, then nobody else does."

"Then don't." Tony spoke, voice low and baritone as his eyes showed his caution. "Hate her, but don't hate mutants. We never choose this life, but we make the best of what we're given." Tony finished, and Natasha said nothing.

She stared, before turning on her heel and clicking out on her heel shoes, the door closing behind her with a firm click.

Tony looked at the door, exhaling loudly through his nose as he rose, moving towards the door while Clint's eyes widened, and intercepting his path.

"Uh- no. No no no, you are _not_ going after her. She is pissed, and she will _destroy you."_ Clint warned, door beeping as it locked shut.

"Oh, buzz off." Tony snorted, blinking as the small taser in Clint's pocket went off, Clint yelping and falling on his back as the electricity chased down his body, leaving him dazed.

"Tony!" Bruce called in surprise, and Tony shrugged.

"Eh, had a taser on him. Should keep that in mind." Tony shrugged, door being forced open as he made his way into the hallway.

Then, the search was on.

x-(X)-x

* * *

**Sorry for the length, the next chap will probably be the cooling off, then the epilogue.**

**Review!**

**~Oceanbreeze7**


	7. Chapter 7

**_Sorry about the wait. I'm not sure if this is the last chapter. I'm not really sure how this is supposed to end...if you want another chapter, please tell me what you want in it! Thanks!_**

* * *

In actuality Natasha wasn't that hard to find.

If he didn't have a technological prowess, probably. With his _amazing_ electric capabilities, he only needed to find a nearby terminal and track her movements from the nearby cameras.

What honestly confused him was her reaction.

She was perfectly fine with the other mutants! What was it about him or his ability that pushed her over the edge and caused her to storm out like that?

He moved, quietly walking towards the cage room where the original Hulk cage was located, now where the cage had been rebuilt and the blood stain removed from the wall fully, even though everyone knew that was where _he_ died.

He moved, door sliding open and closed as he gently guided the butterflies, letting them retreat away into the air as he walked closer to where Natasha leaned against the railing saying nothing.

"You've had bad experiences with mutants." Tony said, and Natasha said near nothing, having known that he was there.

He didn't approach in case she lunged at him, something he _really_ did not want at the moment.

"Several." She answered, voice emotionless while Tony moved a little closer, halting when her hand drifted to her side where her gun rested on her hip.

"I guess it wasn't a pleasant experience." He noted, and shifted awkwardly on his feet, eyes noticing when she tensed.

"You're treading on thin ice." Her voice was just as cool as her words as she turned, eyes slightly dead while it held a firm look that there _would_ be pain if he kept pressing.

He paused, using his incredible deduction skills he always had but never used, noticing her stance, how it was slightly bent while still showing a mask of confidence- _fake._

"You've been hurt by a mutant." It wasn't a question.

She lifted her chin, not saying anything while she judged him silently, leaving no doubt she was racing thoughts.

"Yes." She stated, cold and Tony gave a small bitter smile.

"That's where the rumors start, eh?" He snorted walking away and trailing his fingers on the thick clear cage walls, noticing slightly how Natasha was watching her.

"Some sick mutants find it in them that they're _better_." His hand curled into a fist, "They think they have the right to hurt other humans. Some are, some want to be and some…just want to be _left alone."_ He gave a slight sigh, ironic smile on his face as he looked at her.

"There's a lot of weight on the name 'mutant'. There are a lot of people that hate you, that _fear _you and try to kill you because you're different. There are some people who wished they never were cursed or blessed. That little girl Rogue can never touch another person again. Scott can never see the sun with his own eyes again, and Charles can never walk because of the trouble his gift gave him." He sighed, leaning on the railing while his eyes looked at the cage in a new way, "Every gift gives up a little bit." He bitterly stated while Natasha walked towards him.

"What did you give up?" She asked, and Tony realized quite suddenly that _this_…this was the moment. The moment where he connected with Natasha better than anyone, besides Clint. He'd bonded with Bruce, a touchy subject, and he bonded slightly with Steve.

Natasha was unbreakable, but now, the barriers were crumbling down, it only took a little sacrifice on his part.

"I gave up connection. I had a crap childhood, and I never really had…friends, because I was so _good_ with machines." He snorted, looking away from Natasha, "I guess that's why I'm with machines now. They're predictable, and they're _me."_

It was silent while Natasha said nothing, just looking at the large glass cage.

"There was a girl." She spoke, causing Tony to look at her curiously.

"She was my age at the time, eight. She was actually nearly eighty years old, and she…was our friend. The other girls in the Red Room." She gave a small bitter smile that echoed Tony's.

"She was there to find the weakest and eliminate them. She was my _friend_ and I woke up to her trying to kill me."

Tony's eyes widened and he suddenly _understood. _Natasha liked control, she was similar in the prospect that she wanted to know what was going to happen _before._ She knew that there were mutants coming. She _knew_ that they may be a threat, mostly the telepath's, but once she found out that a (dare he say?) _friend_ was one of them, she had jumped to the conclusion as before. He was going to _rip her apart._

"Sometimes mutant's use their powers for devastating reasons. Magneto wants humans to fear mutants to give claim to us. Some mutants hurt humans because they hurt us. Others…we're different. The X-men." Tony smiled, looking at Natasha who still looked emotionless.

"How?" She asked numbly and Tony frowned, thinking of an example.

"...Charles helps young mutants, takes them from abusive households and sets them out into the world a new person. There's a mutant I know who works in a hospital, low leval telepath. She brings patients out of comas." He spoke with a small smile, and Natasha shook her head not trusting him.

"I- I can't-"

"Then let me show you."

x-(X)-x

They were still wary, but not as much as before.

They were on a jet to one of his homes in Colorado.

He looked out the window, spotting the icy snow topped peaks far below. It was October, nearing the winter season in which the lights and Christmas trees were being brought out.

"Why exactly are we here?" Clint sighed, and Bruce sighed.

"We're taking a break. Tony recommended here, apparently Skiing is nice around here." Bruce sighed while Steve sighed and leaned back further in his seat.

Tony's eyes narrowed as he looked down, testing the butterflies all around him, and leaned back.

The jet landed and at once they were sent to Tony's car, traveling quietly towards the giant house hidden among the edges of the mountains. They passed the tiny town fitted with small Christmas trees and little wreaths on the doors.

They pulled up to the giant mansion among the hills, unloading and claiming their rooms. Gathering around the large meeting room in which hickory chips burned in the little fireplace.

It was a few days after the original calming when the Avengers calmed down enough, relaxed enough for Tony to pull his final calming steps to let the group grow easy with his mutant ability.

"Hey guys, get your coats." He hummed, jumping to his feet after fixing a small bug on a Starkpad, causing the group to look up with a collective group of arched eyebrows.

"Tony, it's ten at night." Clint spoke slowly, causing Tony to give a small smile.

"I know, I want to show you something."

The grumpy avengers stumbled out into the cold night air, apparently in Colorado the weird climate created snow to already fall on the high mountaintops. He moved out on the snow, instead of walking towards the road he turned, moving around the side.

"Uh, Tony?" Bruce asked, shifting in his boots as Tony beckoned them to come, treading through a small path in the forest.

They moved, and Tony smiled, seeing the little patch he had cleared out a while ago, shifting open the iced over black rough fence.

The group looked at the odd winter wonderland, ever so faintly visible amongst the remnants of sunlight. The trees were too dark, and the snow was too bright.

"Tony, _why_ are we standing in snow?" Steve sighed, and Tony gave a faint smile, pulling something from his pocket.

"Because." Then suddenly, something was _glowing._

Clint jumped back in surprise as a small lightbulb was glowing in his hand, between two fingers it casted his face in a glow.

"Shit!" Clint cursed, Steve taking a step back in surprise while Natasha moved the furthest back, eyes wide while Thor's hand dragged towards his waist for his hammer.

Tony's smile faltered slightly as he held the single glowing bulb.

"Okay- pretty light there iron head, now can you turn it _off?_" Clint asked with a slow exhale, obviously feeling odd about the situation, and Tony paused, gently setting the light on the ground.

"I will, but I want you to see this." He frowned, the others about to protest, and then Tony's eyes flickered _closed._

"Uh, Tony-" Steve started, taking a step back before slowly, the entire ground seemed to _glow._

It was small, faint little blue light glowing in the snow letting it look like a beautiful ice formation, steadily growing brighter until a black patch of untouched snow created a path down the centre of the sea of blue lights.

They tangled up, spiraling seemingly unsupported as they created a beautiful glowing canopy that hung above them in a mesmerizing way before spiraling up into a glowing pure white Christmas tree.

"Holy…" Clint spoke, voice quiet as suddenly it was full of fear, only fascination. Thor looked started himself, but his face was fit with a small smile as he bent down, picking up a single light which continued glowing in his hand, as he brought it up to his face for examination.

"Tony, how did you?" Steve asked quietly, Bruce having a look of wonder on it.

Natasha moved forward, surprisingly being the first to walk down the black path that was moving towards the white tree, the blue lights above casting odd lights on her hair, and she moved towards where Tony stood in front of the tree, eyes still closed.

"What does it feel like?" She asked quietly, and his face turned up in a smile as he slowly opened his eyes, the lights managing to somehow stay lit.

"Butterflies. Like a swarm of butterflies are where every single light is- _watch."_ He nodded towards the canopy, and the group did.

The lights flickered, turning off then on in a perfect time to create the illusion of a swarm of blue floating butterflies gently flapping overhead, moving to a song only they could hear.

"Mutants aren't bad." Tony spoke quietly, looking at all of the little lights, gently picking up a white one, letting it turn on and off again.

Looking at the snow covered field, decorated with delicate butterflies and glowing lights that casted an array of light blues, even Natasha couldn't deny him that.

Amongst the madness and the fear of the power, there was something Natasha still could respect.

A butterfly above her turned, circling in the lights before they turned white, creating the illusion of wisps of golden light swirling and spelling her name amongst the sky.

There was beauty there, in the sadness that even Tony couldn't suppress, Natasha knew that it was true.

Mutants…were fine.

They were something of beauty all in their own.

* * *

**In regards to another chapter, read above.**

**Review! **

**~Oceanbreeze7**


	8. Extra

**Okay, this is a bonus chapter, more of an...X-men conclusion, i guess.**

**This was made due to popular request only.**

**This IS long, but this is it! No more!**

**Thus concludes this incredibly long challenge.**

**I don't regret it. :)**

* * *

EXTRA:

Tony skidded to a stop quickly, tires halting almost immediately.

He paused, hesitating while flipping the ignition off of his small Audi Cruiser.

The large mansion that Xavier owned was on his right, and it had been an insanely long time since he had stepped foot inside as a mutant, and not as Tony Stark.

"Here we go." He mumbled under his breath, opening the door and closing it sharply behind him, approaching the door and gently opening it the way he learned years ago.

The moment the doors opened, the sound of people talking and rushing around hit Tony's ears. It sounded like passing time at a normal school, something Tony had never heard in Xavier's home, but something he remembered his old mentor always wishing.

The doors closed loudly behind him, causing a few students to turn and look at him from the entryway where they were passing by.

A few girls gasped loudly in surprise, one girl with large cat ears took a stumble back while another with black hair and yellow eyes whispered excitedly to her friend, "It's one of the Avengers!"

He didn't look at them, instead quietly moving by, and the large whispering crowd easily parted. He ignored the tail which reached out quickly to touch him, and even more people whispered excitedly when instead of jumping or freaking at the extra limb, he gently lifted it off from where it clung to his left arm.

He continued moving, eventually seeing one small girl with near sightless haunting grey eyes, odd sparkling patterns drifting over her cheeks from the corner of her eye.

He awkwardly bent down, looking at her while she clutched her history book closer to her and looked at him, slightly intimidated.

"Hello. Can you do me a favor and tell me if Charles Xavier is in his office?" He asked calmly, and the girl gave a shaky nod, probably not trusting her voice.

"W-what are you doing here Mr. Stark?" She asked quietly, fingers tapping on her book nervously while Tony gave a blink.

"Wha? Oh, well…I need to catch up on a few things." Tony shuffled awkwardly, pulling out a little Christmas light he always kept on him (Just for when he was bored, and he didn't have a phone to hack the CIA with).

He held it up and with a smile, let it light up.

Her eyes lit up with wonder, and held up one of her hands, from her fingertips a thin silver strand of _something_ drifted out, swaying in the way.

Tony exchanged a small smile before rising, the little girl pointing with the silver string covered hand towards the hallway to the right.

Tony nodded before moving, mutants already whispering about how he 'lit up a Christmas light.'

He was sure by lunch everybody would know about it.

He walked, easily finding the old office room, and knocking before inviting himself in. Xavier would know about him before he was even on the property.

He opened the door, walking in and crossing his arms behind his back, waiting for Xavier to open his eyes from his slight meditative trance.

"I wasn't expecting your visit so soon." Xavier spoke, eyes sliding open while Tony just gave a small smile.

"I figured everyone may need closure. I left rather abruptly with torn ends." Tony shrugged while Xavier smiled slightly.

"Indeed. The others are down in the Danger Room, If I recall correctly, you still enjoy grand entrances, correct?" He smiled, chuckling slightly as he wheeled out from behind the desk.

They walked, quietly moving to the elevator and waiting patiently as they plummeted far below the floor into the X-men lair.

The bright white walls were shown as the doors parted, Xavier moving alongside Tony as they moved out, walking towards the opposite end of Cerebro to where Tony first managed to find connection with his ability.

The bunker had been transformed into a white plated room with mechanical arms that could probably stimulate any form of attack.

He looked at the one way glass, momentarily observing how Scott was blasting away mechanical arms while Logan took his sweat time slicing a few leisurely.

"How upset would they be if I shut down the entire thing?" Tony asked, testing the room by reaching out with the butterflies, surprised at the somewhat repelling 'taste' of it, almost like the smell of vinegar.

"We attempted to stop that issue. Is there any differences?" Xavier asked with an arched brow and Tony wrinkled his nose.

"Yeah- vinegar. Smells like you doused it with vinegar, burns my nose." He sniffed while Xavier chuckled, looking at the severed robotic arms on the ground as he narrowed his eyes, making one twitch slightly.

"Well, Hank will be interested to know his attempts were slightly successful." Xavier sighed, watching in amusement while Tony looked around, noticing the long metallic tentacle like limbs that Logan had severed lying on the floor.

"Mind if I freak them a little?" Tony asked, and Xavier chuckled, watching as Tony gave a smirk.

They jumped, startled as the entire room gave a loud hum before slowly dulling to a metallic grey.

"What? Did the room malfunction?" Jean asked with a gasp, looking up from the turret she was mentally tearing apart.

"Impossible. It never breaks down." Scott frowned, walking towards the door.

"Maybe there's a power outage." Kitty offered, phasing through a large broken robotic limb that rested on the floor.

Tony smirked on the other side, feeling the broken connection of the room, and then feeding a steady stream of butterflies in.

The room glowed white again, causing Scott to pause and Logan to extend his claws.

"Looks like it's fine now." Bobby stated blinking and nudging the limb by his foot.

Then they came to life.

Kitty yelped as she was suddenly flipped upside down, hair pooling around her head as a mechanical tentacle held her upside down.

"No! Bobby!" She shouted loudly as the mechanical chord started spinning, causing the world to spin rapidly.

A metallic slicing noise and the mechanical limb felt in half near her, dropping her onto the white paneled floor hard.

She groaned, rubbing her head and watching in slight fascination as all of the severed mechanical and broken machine guns slowly whirred to life, turning and moving to look at them.

The disconcerting part was how they _sparked. _Logically, there was no way it was possible for it to work.

"Summers?" Logan growled, holding his claws defensively while the mechanical limbs seemed to almost _hiss_ (Their circuits actually sparking close together to make the noise).

"Don't ask me. Jean, can you reach the Professor with your telepathy?" Scott asked the group backing into a close knit ring, Ororo, Scott, Logan, Kitty and Bobby in a tight knit circle around Jean who had her fingers pressed to her temples.

"They are asking for my assistance." Charles spoke aloud, Tony's concentration wavering as he looked back at Xavier who smiled slightly, noticing just how much Tony had improved.

"I'll let myself in then." Tony smirked, walking towards the door which swung open as he approached.

Weapons and mutant powers were pointed at him in a second, and he only lifted one eyebrow waiting calmly while the connection between him and the mechanical limbs.

"Stark! Why are you here, and make these things stop!" Scott commanded and Tony rolled his eyes, deactivating the butterflies.

"Aw, not glad to see me? I'm hurt." Tony mock pouted, walking down the railing towards the group.

"Cut the crap. Why are you here?" Logan growled, and Tony's smile faltered as he paused, thinking quietly as his hand slipped into his pocket, grasping the small light he always had on him.

"Closure." Tony spoke, voice quiet and dead serious as he tossed the small light quickly with a flick of his wrist.

Scott's quick reflexes caught it immediately while his brows furrowed in confusion.

"What is this?" Scott asked, demanding actually while Tony quietly walked down the last few steps.

"It's a light." Tony spoke quietly and Logan snarled at the obviousness of the statement.

"No, stop." Jean stated, pressing one hand on Logan who held, glaring only while Tony ignored him.

"Stop messing with us Stark-" Scott jumped slightly as the light illuminated brightly, causing Kitty to trun away from the sharp glare.

"Okay, you can be a flashlight, good for you." Logan growled. Tony tossed back a glare which Logan smirked to.

"Interesting, but _why_ is this a reason for you to come around?" Scott sighed and Tony gave a tiny smile.

"Just thought should show you that I finally figured it out. Turns out, everything's a closed circuit." Tony hummed, spinning on his heel and walking towards the door out, causing Scott to look at him confused.

"What-"

"Oh!" Tony spoke, eyes lighting up in realization when he spun to Ororo, pointing at her with a small smile.

"I still owe you, from Christmas about a decade ago. Scott, if you need an extra visor just call, and Jean, _where_ did those rubies go?" Tony asked and Scott's eyes widened from behind the visor.

"I, _what?"_ Ororo asked quietly, completely confused while Tony gave a small smile.

"It might help if you stopped thinking of me as Iron Man." He spoke causing the group to stare at him confused.

"You're just full of crap Stark." Logan growled and Tony pointed.

"See? That's my point. People look at me and think 'Oh! It's Iron Man!' You guys keep forgetting I'm not just Tony Stark. I'm a mutant, I'm Ashton Carter." He spoke, voice softer at the end bit causing Scott to inhale sharply as Tony turned and walked out of the room, giving a smile to Xavier who mentally added while Tony continued on his way out.

_"If you ever so need a home, the doors are always open."_

_"I have houses all over the world, Xavier.' _Tony thought back as he started the ignition to his car.

_"Houses, yes. But a home? No. Besides, I'm sure you could teach if you needed to."_

Tony smiled, pulling out as he thought back quietly, _'Maybe when I get too old for this hero business. If you X-men ever need an extra man…give me a call."_

_"Of course, Tony. Of course."_

x-(X)-x

The Avengers were lounging around the penthouse, lazily watching television while Clint flicked popcorn at Natasha, who skillfully knocked it away just in time.

It was spring, still too moist out to actually do any summer activities, but too hot to enjoy winter still, thus, the laziness.

_"Anthony!"_

Tony jerked, sitting upright in surprise as the female voice flooded his mind, and automatically he dropped the electric shields enough for Jean to get a steady pain-free transmission.

_"There's a mutant coming in on your tower- it has a bomb strapped to its chest and is flying in fast."_

_'Power?'_

_"As far as we can tell, it has something on its feet that's letting it fly. It can shoot fire, but it's not Pyro- not one of ours."_

"Tony?' Steve asked, sitting upright as he noticed Tony's stiffness.

"Mutant." Tony grunted, jumping to his feet and the patio doors swung open, Tony walking out and standing on the balcony ledge as he scanned the sky for the mutant.

_"He's on your left we think- be careful! One wrong move from Iron Man and your entire tower could go up in flames!"_

Tony frowned, seeing the speck of the fast flying mutant, the kamikaze one if Jean was right.

_'Are any of you below my tower?'_

_"We have Shadowcat running in, only a few seconds before she gets to your floor-"_

_'Leave her down there. As well as any who can fly or teleport.'_

_"I'll tell Nightcrawler."_

_'Kurt? Oh! Hey, tell the fuzz ball I say high.' _Tony mused, eyes locking on the incoming human projectile as the other Avengers wondered out, Clint giving a small gasp as he saw the issue.

"What is it?" Natasha asked, and Clint responded quickly.

"Mutant, there's a bomb on his chest." Clint grunted, hand moving for the quiver that wasn't there.

"I got it." Tony muttered, closing his eyes and branching out, ignoring the power cables and other electric transmissions in the air, focusing on the butterfly covered mutant, or more precisely, his shoes.

He opened his eyes lazily, the shoes stopping the ignition and the mutant gave a soundless squawk, flailing as he plummeted through the air rapidly, spinning and turning.

"I'll take care of this. Make sure _Project Runway_ is recording." Tony noted, stepping on his Iron Man platform and blasting down towards the street once he was ready.

The mutant had been caught by the dark blue elf, and was thrashing, threatening to press the trigger for the ticking bomb on his chest.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late." Tony shrugged landing and not even casting the sweating nervous mutant a glance while the X-men looked at him in slight surprise.

"Stark. Didn't expect you to show up." Scott stated, almost hesitantly while Tony just gave a dismissive shrug.

"Nah, you know…_my_ tower, and a bomb nearby. I don't want my baby to get destroyed…_again."_ His nose wrinkled as he lifted the faceplate.

"Let's see, mutant- hello!" Tony grinned to the obvious evil mutant who looked now like he was going to pass out of fright.

"I-" The mutant bumbled while Tony just looked at the bomb with his smile turning to a frown.

"Oh, haven't seen that model before. New?" He hummed, and the X-men tensed behind him while he rolled his eyes.

"Magneto make it?"

"You _wish_." The mutant sneered, almost instantly looking stunned at having said that, Tony hummed and locked eyes on the ticking timer, four minutes.

"_Ah,_ you made it. Impressive because I have no idea what it is- _anyways." _Tony reached out quickly for the bomb, grabbing the strand of butterflies and tugging it into himself.

He underestimated the amount of power inside the bomb.

He stumbled back, barely managing to stay standing as he slunk to one knee, the armor giving a loud _chink_ as it hit the pavement and instantly his hands went to his temples.

"Stark? Stark!" Scott asked, slightly worried as he hurried next to Tony who flinched at the contact.

"How in _god's name-_" He gave a shuddering breath as he looked at the pyromaniac mutant in horror, "Did you create _a hydrogen bomb?"_ He nearly shrieked, flinching as his chest constricted painfully.

"A what?" Shadowcat asked Kurt, who shrugged in confusion.

"A _hydrogen bomb?_ Are you sure?" Scott asked, immediately jumping into leader mode while Tony shot him a withering glare.

"Am I _sure?_ No, I'm just taking a gravity check. It works still." Tony snarled as his leg refused to lift him back to his feet.

Jean was hesitantly shifting back and forth on her feet, not exactly sure what to do.

"What is wrong then?" Kurt asked, accent thick while Tony gave another shudder, back spasm noticeably.

"What is _wrong,_ is that when I absorb energy, I don't just _throw it away._ It goes in the arc, but the arc was never made to store enough energy to wipe out here to New Jersey!" He grunted and convulsed again.

"Wait, you mean that a _hydrogen bomb _ is _inside you?"_ Shadowcat gave a large blink of shock and horror.

"The only upside to this is that I don't explode." Tony grunted, squeezing his eyes tight as if to relieve pressure.

"I- shit it's getting out." Tony groaned, slumping onto the pavement while Jean winced, fingers racing to her temples.

"What's wrong?" He asked concerned while she winced again as suddenly every street post on the road glowed with an urethral light before exploding in a shower of sparks.

"It's him. He has a…electric fence on his mind. It's branching out, like barbed wire, it _hurts."_ She winced again as more lights broke.

"Maybe his powers aren't working right." Shadowcat piped up, causing Scott to look at her, "Like the new kids. Maybe he's not able to control the electricity right now." She shrugged while looking at the fainted evil mutant.

"Maybe Professor X can fix this." Jean winced, Kurt jumping in and vanishing with Tony in a flash of smoke and an acidic reek.

Tony woke later to a blurry vision, a numb tingling feeling all across his skin, and a pounding headache.

He moved, swinging his head up and groaning as he saw the stereotypical video-game style of dizziness. Accurate as hell, but still annoying.

_"You. Anthony, are an idiot sometimes."_

Tony groaned loudly at Charles firm tone, at once a hand moving to his temple while he glared at the dark shadow he assumed was Charles from behind…glass?

"Haha, very funny. Now tell me what the heck happened?" Tony groaned, and Charles wasted no time explaining.

_"You took it upon yourself to absorb the power of a Hydrogen bomb instead of simply deactivating it."_

Tony blinked, the dizziness fading somewhere while his skin still prickled painfully, the numbness spreading until he briefly caught sight of his big toe twitching- speaking of toe…

"You changed me into my X-man suit?" Tony stated in disbelief, looking at Charles who calmly updated him.

_"Your suit was created with the knowledge of expelling high amounts of electricity through a small surface area. That, and your other suit was turned to charcoal from the electricity."_

Tony blinked, he liked that suit he was wearing before…The…red one?

_"Of course, once Kurt arrived back here with you- you were convulsing at that point, we quickly transported you to one of our rooms created for mutants who have similar powers. You're safe here until you expel all of the electricity remaining within your system, then you are free to leave. We have already contacted Nick Fury of SHIELD, he is aware of the situation as well as the Avengers, who are waiting patiently for your return."_

Tony blinked, stumbling upright and clutching the odd textured bedpost, staring at it in confusion.

_"It's a compound Hank created, as far as I understand, it is composed of porcelain, glass and rubber bases."_

"Smart man." Tony mused, shaking his head and taking a few steps, legs trembling slightly against his will.

_"Indeed. I feel that you two will get along perfectly."_

"Yeah yeah, I'm busy at Stark Tower so I don't have much time for fun and chat. By the way, do you have a tablet by chance?" Tony asked, giving Charles an innocent look while the older man frowned.

_"Anthony. When you absorbed the energy from the Hydrogen bomb, no matter how small it was, you nearly killed yourself and Jean."_

"Jean?" Tony asked, head snapping up as suddenly he stilled in worry.

_"She is fine. The amount of energy you absorbed was enough that the electric pulses that surround your consciousness turned tangible. I am positive that if you were out in modern society you could very well create a black out throughout the entire city of New York."_

Tony let a low whistle, looking at his still twitching foot as he frowned, looking at Charles.

"Do you think I can get rid of it? I need something to pour it into-"

_"Anthony, even if you did manage to transfer the excess energy, there may be a chance that radiation has filtered into you. I'm sorry, but you are a danger to mankind if we simply let you out into the world. We will, I assure you, but once your body has used up the energy."_

Tony stared, just _staring_ at Xavier and instead he numbly and quietly stated. "It took me a week to get rid of the extra energy from a Car battery. A car battery dispels 12 volts over a 50 amp-hour, that's _625 volts_ over a week. Do you know how much energy is in a Hydrogen bomb? I- 500 Kilotons. That's not even _on the same scale."_ Tony practically shrieked, recoiling as he actually _saw_ the electricity snap in front of him in some form of an electric current radiating nearly a foot from his body.

_"I'm sorry Anthony. It seems you're going to be here a while."_

x-(X)-x

Tony had long since grown used to the silence and awkwardness of his room. Sure, people came to visit him in his odd little 'cell', but he couldn't tell what they were saying. He electricity would interrupt the PA and cause it to burst into flames, choke him, and he'd die. Not fun, but interesting in his opinion. What Capsicle would one day say about him, _'Tony Stark, bravest man I knew. He once took a nuke into space you know! He…he died from a PA system…'_

Nope, as amusing as that was, no-freaking-pe.

_"Interesting mind there, As-Tony." _He heard Jean, stumbling to fix the slip-up on his name.

"Reading my mind? I thought you couldn't do that?" Tony drawled and he looked up to see not only Jean, but Scott as well.

_"The shield is in the air and no longer around your mind. I- we wanted to talk to you."_

"To me?" Tony lifted an eyebrow, lounging against the bed while examining his nails, they were getting rather long actually.

_"We…we wanted to remember what you were like when you were Ashton Carter."_

"Ah, there it is." Tony let out a sigh from his nose as he looked at the two people sitting in the observation window.

"See, Ashton and I are the same, but we're not. Me? I'm Iron man, a world savior, robotic hero and Avenger. I'm Tony Stark, narcissistic playboy, billionaire, and occasionally a jerk." Tony hummed, looking up at Scott.

"I'm also Ashton Carter, orphaned mutant, and even more recent to join my little family is Achilles-"

_"An X-man." _Jean cut him off and he gave a small wry smile, and a nod.

_"Scott says that…he's sorry. He's sorry about everything he ever did to you after you left, and he's sorry for forgetting. He says that he's had a lot on his mind-"_

"Hey, I get it. Xavier actually got a _school_ going. You've been busy." His voice grew slightly softer.

_"Scott says that's no excuse and I agree with him…I'm sorry, Anthony, I really am. If there was any way I could make up for it, I would. Can you ever forgive us?" _Jean mentally begged, and Tony let out a sigh, electricity crackling in front of him again before he froze, an idea racing through his head.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Hey, can you do me a favor and call Thor? And fuzzy the Elf, I need his little space hopper power."

Half an hour later, Thor was standing in Tony's little bubble, practically immune as the electricity pathetically danced on his skin, he paid it no mind.

"Hey! Thor, nice to see you again Hammer time, _anyways_, when you do that lightning thingy do you grab lightning from the clouds or more like…_pull _it towards you?" Tony asked, hands expressing his words while Thor watched confused.

"Friend Stark, I simply summon the powers of the norns." Thor said with a baffled smile while Tony rolled his eyes.

"Fine, that hammer thing, _that_ can withstand electricity, right?" Tony asked, a growing grin on his face while Thor once again looked puzzled.

"I do not understand, Friend Star-"

"Drop the hammer."

Thor did so, the dull _thump_ as it hit the ground, much lighter then physically possible as it looked at Tony, hilt practically mocking him. He glared at the worn leather handle, grasping it tightly while Thor lifted one eyebrow, probably assuming Tony was going to attempt to lift it.

Tony grasped the leather, instead of trying to lift it, he felt the butterflies within- (Odd and different feeling. Not the sudden and silky feel of wings, more of a tingling brush like a furry moth) and forced the butterflies in.

They were sucked in easily, they seemed to mingle with the moths easily while the fur seemed to spread, leaving the butterflies to the furry little creatures as Tony opened his eyes, stepping back and suddenly feeling very tired.

"Hey big guy- go get rid of that lightning, I'll be right ou-"

His vision swam.

x-(X)-x

Tony was fine a few days later and a long sleep.

It was…odd, if that.

He was still donating the amount of money (no matter how often Xavier kept telling him it wasn't needed), and helping the school with charitable donations.

There was a short conversation between the X-men before a decision had been made without Tony's knowledge. He was Achilles, and he was an X-men. Nobody declined.

In response, Tony willingly let any traveling Mutant rest in his numerous houses throughout the world, allowing a safe house for any weary traveler.

SHIELD struck a deal with Xavier, sending all mutants from government testing (Tony had picked a large fight after _that _discovery) automatically to Xavier.

When the world was moving slowly and Tony wanted to avoid paperwork, he even took up Xavier on his offer. Not only a week later was he actually _teaching_ mechanics and countless sciences to younger mutants, who not only accepted him for his odd power, but _adored him._

(There was the same little girl with the silk fingers that asked if she could see his suit. She instead went flying for nearly four hours).

It worked, and it wasn't even long until he was being called in on his private radio by Scott and sometimes, Logan.

(He won the wild man over when he sniffed at the Bud Light he had been drinking, sliding him a Guinness instead. Instant friendship).

The Avengers eventually didn't care…at all. They knew where he was, or how to be contacted. Even Steve and Scott found common ground and eventually even met up on occasion.

Letting everyone find out that he was a mutant (How the hell the press was still idiotic enough not to connect the dots would confuse him forever), wasn't actually that bad.

"Tony! Jeans on the phone!" Clint shouted out from the main living room as he lazily waved the cordless device in the air, Natasha rolling her eyes from her spot on the kitchen island.

"Whatever Legolas." Tony snorted, taking the phone.

_"Tony? Magneto is down by Queen's street. You up for some fighting?"_

Definitely not bad at all.

* * *

**Thanks! Review!**

**~Oceanbreeze7**

**I hope you liked it.**


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